State of the Union
by caffinate-me
Summary: When Special Agent Kate Beckett is offered an interview for a Secret Service position at the White House she didn't know what to expect, but even less than the position as personal protection for the first daughter, she never expected him. President/SSA AU. COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1

State of the Union

Chapter 1

When Kate Beckett was recruited to join the FBI straight out of college at Stanford University she never expected this. Even when the Secret Service had come knocking on her door she had thought it was too good to be true. She figured she would be in an office somewhere, decoding cryptic emails or arguing policy and politics with a bunch of lawyers and suits. But, they had told her, she had a specific aptitude, a set of skills that were special so she had gone through training. Training so long, so grueling, that it had put her weeks at Quantico to shame.

Her shoulder twinged as she lifted her cardboard coffee cup, made of 80% recycled materials, to her lips and stared up at the building in front of her. She rolled it without a second thought, using her right palm to provide pressure as she swung her arm in small circles— working out the kinks she had gotten used to over the last few months. With one final swig of coffee she tossed the cup into the trashcan next to her and started across the street.

She, Katherine Beckett, had an interview to be on the personal protection detail for the President of the United States.

Kate flashed her badge at the two men securing the entrance and gives a jerky nod as they pulled the doors open, allowing her to pass through without a second thought. Pausing just next to the desk on the other side of the doors she sucked in a deep breath as she resisted the urge to massage her shoulder again. This wasn't the time nor the place to show that kind of weakness. So, instead she straightened her tailored black jacket, plucked an errant ball of fuzz from her utilitarian white button down and took a step forward.

"Special Agent Kate Beckett," she stated to the woman behind the desk. "I'm here to see Agent Kennedy and Mr. Fitzpatrick."

"Of course, Agent Beckett. Just give me a moment."

Kate nodded as she stepped back giving the older woman a chance to make the appropriate phone calls in peace. She watched with a keen eye as the hall leading to the West Wing buzzed around her. Men and women in suits and uniforms sped past her. Most of them were already glued to their cell phones; others juggled gallon-sized cups of coffee and teetering stacks of files.

Shifting her briefcase to her other hand, Kate lifted her fingers to run through her hair, using the blunt tips to ensure the strands hadn't worked themselves loose from the stark bun at the nape of her neck. She had allowed herself the luxury of a French manicure the day before her interview. Minimalistic make up, no visible jewelry, basic nude colored nail polish, that was her life. No one had to know her toes, hidden inside of her black pumps, were a bright beautiful coral pink in celebration of the last vestiges of summer.

"Agent Beckett?"

Kate took a step forward in response, her attention once again trained on the woman behind the desk.

"Agent Sorenson will be out momentarily to escort you back."

Kate graced the woman with a polite smile and a quiet thank you even as her stomach dropped like a lead weight. Of course.

Will.

* * *

It took everything in her to wait until they has rounded the corner into relative privacy before glaring at the man walking beside her.

"This was you, wasn't it?" She hissed.

"Really, Kate? That's the thanks I get? I would have thought you'd be ecstatic to get an interview at the White House. And let's face it, a lot of higher ups think you fucked up in Chicago. There was no other way you were going to end up here."

She pressed her lips shut, rage churning with the guilt in her gut.

Chicago.

"You're an ass."

"I missed you too, Kate." He returned with a smug smile.

* * *

Richard Castle sighed as he sat at his desk, the white envelope clutched in his hand. It looked so small, so incongruous. Flipping it over, he looked at the back before flipping it back to stare at the neatly printed address on the front.

Eleven point, Times New Roman. Who even used Times New Roman anymore?

The FBI had already been over it with a fine-tooth comb, the Secret Service, NSA, DoD— every agency in the bowl of Alphabet Soup. Nothing. It was like it somehow just magically ended up in his mailbox.

He was used to threats. You didn't make it to this office without your fair share of threats and even the occasional close call. His mother, his ex-wife, it had happened to all of them. His daughter, Alexis, had even been the subject of quite a few threatening letters in the past few months, but this was different. This was personal.

He pinched the edges of the envelope, allowing the slit down the side to puff open, revealing the contents. Slowly, he pulled out the photograph. It was amazing how much a single one, three by five rectangle could say. It truly was worth a thousand words, or in this case just the two printed on the back.

"Mr. President?"

Castle looked up as his young assistant knocked on the cracked door in courtesy even as her head of mousey brown hair poked through the doorway.

"Yes, Becky?"

"You told me to tell you when the meeting had started so you could pop in."

"Right."

He pushed himself out of his chair, adjusting his tie before shrugging on his jacket from where he had draped it over the back of his chair mere minutes before.

"Becky, what do you think of me initiating a casual Friday?" He asked as they walked side by side down the hall.

"I think you can do whatever you want to do, Sir."

"So is that a yes? Because I'm pretty sure my neck is actually shrinking due to all these ties I've been forced to wear over the years."

"I think foreign leaders might have a hard time taking you seriously if you're standing in front of them in jeans and your Monty Python t-shirt."

"That does it," Castle replied with a clap of his hands. "Casual Fridays and we're gifting every foreign dignitary with a dead parrot."

"Sir?" Becky asked in question as they paused in front of the meeting room doors.

"Start writing up that memo. I want to send it around by the end of the week."

"Sir? I can't tell if you're joking or not, Sir."

Castle graced the young woman with a wink before disappearing silently through the doorway. Sometimes he just had to have a little fun; unfortunately it normally happened to be at Becky's expense. She was catching on pretty well though, even after only eight months. He might even have to start watching his back after four years or eight, though he had yet to meet anyone, even in the White House who could match his wit.

Castle held a finger to his lips as he slipped into the conference room. His three people were seated in a line on the far side of the conference table facing the door he had just entered through while the subject of their interview sat directly in front of him facing away.

Her voice kept an even tempo through the interview, answering questions succinctly as she sat, hands clasped in front of her, barely moving. Her foot didn't even jiggle with nerves. She was the perfect definition of steel.

"One final question for you, Agent Beckett." Agent Roger Kennedy stated, his voice gruff, the ever-present sheen of sweat glistening on his salt and pepper hairline.

Castle leaned back against the wall, arms crossed over his chest as he listened.

"What happened in Chicago?"

His head cocked in curiosity as the agent's entire posture stiffened in her chair. Her foot spurred into motion, beating a quick staccato tempo in the air. He hadn't had time to read through her file, he had been planning to do it before giving a final okay if and when she made it through the interview. He trusted his people to make these decisions for him, he trusted them with his life.

"You have the report in front of you, you know what happened." The response was the epitome of calm. Castle could guess that if he could see her face, it would be void of any emotion but her voice was as tight as her shoulders. There was something there, a story that had his interest piqued.

"I have read the report. I've read your file. And somehow it just doesn't add up. You're the youngest female agent ever recruited by the Secret Service. You scored higher on some of your exams and qualifications than some of our best agents. Quantico touted you as their golden child. And you are, as they say, 100 percent by the book. So tell me, what happened in Chicago that made you break formation and almost get a senator killed?"

"I didn't almost get a senator killed, I saved his life!"

Her voice rose by decibels. Kennedy's comment obviously struck a nerve that had ignited a fire in the previously calm agent.

Agent Kennedy let out a snort of derision, exchanging a look with the man next to him. The younger agent at the end, Sorenson shot a pleading look across the table at the interviewee, Beckett, was it, before shaking his head and sinking slightly back into his chair. Oh, yes, there were plenty of stories here.

"Agent Beckett," Kennedy continued, and Castle winced at the condescension dripping from his tone. "You goaded a man with a gun and jumped in front of a bullet. That may be the answer in Bond movies but not in real life."

"James Bond is a spy not a Secret Service Agent and he doesn't jump in front of bullets. He drives fast cars and seduces women."

Castle pressed his lips together to hide his smirk at the woman's innate sass.

"And yet you decided it was the best course of action because..."

"I made a split second decision and saved a man's life."

"Without any regard for your own! What would have happened if you had been without back up?"

"That an unfair question. Those would have been completely different circumstances..."

"No, both you _and_ the senator would be dead."

"If you do this job completely by the book then someone will end up getting killed. I realized the man they were looking for wasn't the right one so..."

"Instead of going through the proper channels you went after him yourself and put everyone in danger! The President doesn't need someone reckless on his detail."

"There was no fucking time for proper channels. I had to act fast so I went with my gut. I did what I had to do and if The President doesn't understand that then he is living in Wonderland."

Castle pushed himself from his perch against the wall. This was getting them nowhere. "Well, don't tell the queen or she'll have his head."

The entire room shot to their feet and rounding the table he came face to face with undoubtedly one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. Suddenly, all he could wonder was how much gorgeous she would be if a smile graced her face instead of the mixture of horror and residual anger that resided there now.

"Mr. President." They all murmured and Castle gave a nod of acknowledgement.

"Agent Kennedy, Sorenson, Mr. Fitzpatrick, nice to see you all. Agent Beckett could you give us a moment please?"

Beckett's hazel green eyes shot up from where they had been trained on a spot on the wall, meeting his for only the briefest of seconds.

"Extraordinary." He murmured under his breath as she disappeared into the hall.

"Mr. President?" Kennedy promoted.

"Hmm?" He replied breaking out of his haze. "May I ask what that was about?"

"What do you mean, Sir?" Fitzpatrick chimed into the conversation.

"I may not have been in this position for very long but I know you well enough to know you would never bring in an unqualified agent. So, I ask you again, what was that about?"

"Agent Beckett isn't unqualified."

Castle turned his attention to the younger agent standing at the far end of the room. "Agent Sorenson?"

"Beckett is one of the best agents I've met."

Kennedy let out a snort of derision. "Best in the field or between the sheets, Will?"

Castle held up a hand just as the room was about to explode. "Enough. Give me the file."

"Mr. President?" Fitzpatrick questioned.

"Agent Beckett's file, give it to me."

He snatched the file from Kennedy's hand ignoring the other man's poorly masked indignation.

Castle's eyebrows rose with every line he read, carefully making sure not to look at the picture on the left side of the file. He could feel those jade irises threatening to pierce his soul.

"This is beyond impressive. Barely thirty years old and she has more commendations than you, Kennedy."

"She's a loose cannon," Kennedy retorted, only to be interrupted by Sorenson.

"She thinks on her feet."

"Enough, both of you. In the end this is my decision, is it not?" His eyes panned the room as three heads all nodded reluctantly. "Okay then."

With that he turned, file in hand and exited the room, leaving the three bewildered men in his wake.

She was leaned against the wall in the hall when he spotted her. Her head tilted back to rest against the off-white plaster, eyes closed, both hands clasping the handles of the briefcase in front of her.

* * *

"Agent Beckett with me."

Kate's eyes snapped open at the command and she quickly fell into step behind The President in silence. He had heard that, all of it. Her mind was racing through everyone she would be able to call to ask a favor in an hour once she was inevitably fired. There had been that one guy, the military contractor who had pinged her for a stint in Afghanistan. That could be okay, as a last resort. Or she could always take the safe route and finally take the bar exam and join her parents' practice back in New York. Settle down, have a couple of kids, and spend her days juggling piles of litigation paperwork and making sure little Johnny got to soccer practice on time. Of course she could also just...

"What do you see here?"

Kate's attention snapped back to the present and she choked on a gasp, releasing a slight wheezing cough instead. She was in the Oval Office. Her jaw snapped shut and she forced her attention back to the lone man in the room with her.

"Sir?"

Castle chuckled slightly, gesturing for her to take the small sheet of paper in his hand. "What do you see?"

Slowly, she reached out to grab it, her eyes only leaving him long enough to make sure she wasn't grasping at air.

"I, uh," she stuttered, leaning slightly to place her briefcase on floor beside her. It wasn't paper; it was a photograph. Analyze. This was her job; she was good at this. She could do this.

"It's a picture of your daughter," She started with a slight frown, and The President motioned for her to continue as he took a step back to lean against his desk. "She's in her uniform and holding books, so I'm assuming it was taken outside her school."

The President hummed in affirmation spurring on her confidence.

"She's not paying attention to the camera, laughing with friends so that tells me it's a candid shot; she didn't know it was being taken. Lighting indicates it's mid afternoon, so probably right after school was let out for the day."

Castle shifted his position on the desk, leaning forward slightly in interest.

"They are wearing their summer uniforms so the picture was taken sometime in the last two months." She shrugged slightly as she held the photograph back out to him.

The picture fell slightly as he pushed himself off of the desk, arms folded over his chest, ignoring her attempt to return it.

"Turn it over."

She flipped the photo over and her frown deepened at the two words printed on the back.

_She's mine. _

"I'm guessing you didn't write that, Sir?"

Castle huffed out a laugh before dropping down into his chair. "I did not. See anything else now?"

Kate flipped the picture back over, her brow furrowed as she began to pace the room. Her free thumb gravitated to her lips and she chewed gently on the skin surrounding her nail. It was a disgusting habit her mother had been trying to cure her of since childhood, but it still flared whenever she was deep in thought.

"It's a close up shot, so either it was taken from a close proximity or from a distance with a very expensive telephoto lens."

"How can you tell that?"

Kate stepped around the side of the desk without a second thought and placed the picture on the table in front of him, as she leaned over next to his chair. "See how clear the photo is? No blurring, distortion or trace of pixilation. That means one of two things— either it was taken up close, or that the photographer zoomed in from far away with a really good lens. Either way that's not a good thing."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, either they managed to get that close to Alexis without catching attention. That would mean it's probably someone she knows. Or if it was taken from far away, a telephoto lens that good would cost upward of thirty grand. That means this is someone with money who knows what they are doing. This isn't a crackpot. This is a threat to be taken seriously."

"I agree. You're good. It took four agencies two days to tell me what you just did in two minutes. How do you feel about children?"

"Sir?" Beckett questioned, her breath catching slightly as he reached out to take the photo, their fingers brushing.

"I'm offering you a job. I'd be willing to jump in front of a bullet for my daughter, would you?"

"Mr. President, if I did my job correctly I wouldn't have to."

"Seven tomorrow morning," Castle responded, and Beckett stumbled back, quickly regaining her composure as he pushed back his chair to stand. She rounded the desk as he spoke into the intercom on the desk. "Becky please come show Agent Beckett out from the Round Room and give her a copy of Alexis' schedule and the proper credentials. Agent Beckett, welcome to the White House."

Kate murmured a thank you as she reached for her brief case and turned to follow Becky out of the office her head spinning.

What the hell just happened?

* * *

A/N: As always, thank you for your kind words and feedback. Flew beta free on this chapter, so any mistakes are my own or because of Autocorrect. (Actually, let's just blame Autocorrect, shall we?). Beta will be back next chapter. ;)

This is for Berkie, Nina, Marie, Dia, KC and everyone else who begged me to write this AU. I hope you all enjoy it! Based on the Tumblr Prompt- Castle is the president and Beckett is a SSA agent in charge of protecting Alexis. In the original prompt Alexis was 6-8. I changed it to 11/12 for creative purposes.

This will be a multi-chapter. I'm not sure exactly how long it will be but I feel like this could be a nice fun story no matter how long. I will update this and my other stories as quickly as possible but I do appreciate your understanding and patience since real life does come first. ;)

x. Alex

Twitter: aspen_musing

Tumblr: aspenmusing


	2. Chapter 2

State of the Union

Chapter 2

Kate tipped the remnants of the bottle of Merlot into her wine glass before collapsing onto the small plush couch in her hotel suite. To say the events of the day had been interesting would be the understatement of the century.

Her phone chirped before she could even allow her brain to start processing what had happened, and she slipped off one black pump so she could grab the offending object with her toes, flipping it up from the small coffee table to her hand in a move that would make some World Cup soccer players proud.

"Hi, Mom," She murmured as snuggled into the cushions, her head falling back, eyes closed.

"Katie. So how did it go? Is the president as hot in person as he looks on TV?"

Of course her mother would cut straight to the important topics. Kate kicked off her other shoe as she propped her heels up on the edge of the couch in front of her.

"It was interesting... He was interesting."

"What do you mean by 'interesting'? _You're going to end up on a detail in Phoenix_ interesting or _you pulled a Cinderella and are going to be moving into the White House on a permanent basis_ 'interesting'?"

"Mom." Kate groaned, lifting the glass to her lips. She may need a second bottle after all. "I mean that the interview was horrible, and Will was there, but after that, the president pulled me aside and gave me a job leading the first daughter's protection detail."

Of all the reactions she expected out of her own mother after delivering that news, an explosion of laughter was not one of them.

"You?" Johanna Beckett wheezed through the speaker. "You, in charge of an eleven-year-old?"

"Mom!" Kate chided as she fought the frustrated self-doubt coiling in her gut. "It's not just me, I have a team of two other guys... Besides, it's one kid. How hard could it be?"

"Oh, Katie," her mother sighed as her laughs subsided into hiccupped giggles. "Just remember you said that and let me know your address so I can ship your stuff."

Kate's head popped off the cushion. She needed to find an apartment. Shit. Hanging up the phone she slipped back on her shoes. She was definitely going to need that second bottle of wine.

* * *

Kate resisted the urge to turn a pleading eye to either of the agents flanking her as bright blue irises panned her from head to toe. Tiny porcelain arms crossed in contemplation.

"So, you're going to be following me around _all day?_" Alexis Castle questioned incredulously, already dressed in her white button-down, blue plaid skirt, and black Mary Janes. "All _three_ of you?"

"Yes, Miss Castle." Kate answered, putting her training ahead of her baser instinct to kneel and talk to Alexis like the child she was instead of the daughter of the president.

"But before I only had one agent, and he didn't have to go to school with me either," Alexis argued.

"Well, Miss Castle, your father decided he'd feel better if you had a full detail. Now, we need to leave so you can get to school on time." Kate answered in an attempt to prompt the girl away from the topic at hand.

"Did something happen?" Alexis continued as she shrugged on her backpack, skeptical eyes darting among the three of them. "Because the last time he did something like this, it was because a rabbit triggered the alarm on my bedroom window. My dad ended up sleeping on the floor of my bedroom for a week."

Kate pressed her lips together in an attempt to suppress the laugh that threatened to escape at the notion of the president of the United States curled up on the floor next to his daughter's pink canopy bed, even as her heart swelled at the sweetness of the same image. "Nothing has happened, Miss Castle, your father just wants to make sure it stays that way."

"Fine." Alexis conceded with pursed lips, her arms returning to their place crossed over her chest. "But this isn't over."

Kate exchanged a look with her two newly appointed subordinates. She wasn't going to let her mother say "I told you so."

The two other agents trailed behind her as Kate followed their charge down the hall, the tiny redhead darting through the stream of White House personnel with the incredible skill only gifted to children, to the driveway where the town car was waiting. She had read their profiles the night before as she worked through her second glass of Merlot. They were good men, one from a military background, the other more like her- recruited out of college. She still needed a chance to get to know both of the men personally. They were all here for one reason, they were the best, the elite, but that didn't mean they knew how to work together as a team. Kate would be sure to remedy that. Fortunately, neither of the men had batted an eye when they found out their lead agent was a woman. At least they were off to a good start.

"Yo, man, what's that?"

Kate glanced over her shoulder to see the ex-Army Ranger, Javier Esposito, pointing to the brown paper bag in the third agent's hand.

"My lunch," Kevin Ryan responded, shrugging nonchalantly even as the tips of his ears flushed pink. "My fiancé packed it for me. She's a teacher; she didn't want me eating the slop they serve in the cafeteria."

Esposito guffawed in response.

"You laugh now, but we'll see who's laughing in a couple hours when you two are eating mystery meat number one and I have my delicious BLT on rye."

Esposito's smile fell slightly, and he leaned closer, nodding at the bag. "You got a pudding cup in there?"

"Maybe."

Kate rolled her eyes on a chuckle. They might be worse than the eleven-year-old.

* * *

Kate was exhausted by the time the final bell rang at 3:30 pm. She had gone through grueling military-level training. Twice. She had gone more than forty-eight hours with no sleep on missions, and yet eight hours in a prep school had officially kicked her butt. Her feet hurt, her back ached, and she had a pounding in her temples to rival some of her worst hangovers from her college days.

"Oh, it couldn't have been that bad."

Kate cracked an eye open from her position leaning against the wall just outside Alexis' bedroom to see the president standing before her, eyes twinkling with mirth.

"Sir!" She stated as she bolted up straight, making quick work of smoothing her jacket and hair. "No, of course not, Sir."

"Relax, Beckett. I spend days arguing with the Joint Chiefs but I once spent less than an hour answering questions in Alexis' class and I literally passed out the minute I sat down in the car. Exhausting the lot of them. Worse than Congress." He added with a wink. "You get used to it."

"Yes, Sir. I'm sure I will."

Kate willed her cheeks not to flame as he stood casually before her, eyes forever assessing. "Your two agents working out for you?"

Kate turned to look down the hall where Ryan and Esposito were standing, involved in another round of the bickering they had been engaging in for the better part of the day, waiting for their next instructions.

"Yes, Sir," She replied with a small fleeting quirk of her lips. "They seem like good agents so far, though talkative."

"Well, at least you have entertainment. We wouldn't want you three getting bored, now would we?"

Beckett's cheeks flamed at the glib statement. "No, Sir. I take my job very seriously, I would never let my guard down long enough to 'get bored'. I would never put your daughter in that kind of danger. If I have given you reason to doubt that, Sir, I am very sorry."

"Relax, Beckett." The president stated for the second time in as many minutes, interrupting her stumbling, panicked monologue. "I wasn't trying to imply anything of the sort. I wouldn't trust my daughter's life with someone whom I doubted in the least. Now go home, your boys too. Alexis will be in for the rest of the night. Get some rest. See you tomorrow."

Beckett hesitated for a moment at the mention of home but nodded quickly in recovery. "Yes, Sir. Have a good evening, Mr. President."

"Agent Beckett." He replied with a small smile. Moving past her to knock on his daughter's door. "Don't let the bedbugs bite."

Her head fell back against the wall, her lower lip drawn between her teeth as he disappeared from view, the door clicking shut softly behind him. Interesting… definitely interesting.

* * *

"Hi, Pumpkin." President Castle greeted as he walked into his daughter's room to find her lying on her belly on her bed, feet dancing in the air as she methodically answered her math problems.

"Father." Came a cool reply.

"Okay," He sighed as he sank down on the edge of the bed, catching one of her swinging feet in his hand. "What did I do now?"

"Three agents, Dad? Really? Middle school isn't _that_ cutthroat." Alexis stated, with an edge in her voice that he hadn't heard before as she rolled over to look at him, incredulousness painting her face. Suddenly he had a feeling of dread for her teenaged years.

Castle sighed again, cocking his head to really look at his daughter. She was by far the most important thing in his life. More important than the White House, than the environmental bill currently lying on his desk, more important than any other person he knew. "You know you mean more to me than anything, right?"

Alexis' eyes fell closed for a second before opening again to meet his, her head bobbing in a small nod.

"Then trust me. I just want to make sure you're safe."

"Fine," Alexis huffed as she turned back to her homework. "But I don't have to like it."

"No, you don't, but you do have to listen to them. Their sole purpose is to make sure you're safe, so if they tell you to do something, you do it okay?"

"Yes, Father."

Oh, yes. Those teenaged years would definitely be fun.

"So..." Castle continued, doing his best to appear nonchalant. "What did you think of them?"

"Who?"

"The agents. Ryan, Esposito... Beckett. Did you like them?"

Alexis' eyes slid over slowly to look at him sideways. "They were nice enough. The two guys bickered a lot. They were kind of funny."

A small giggle slipped out causing her to press her lips together into a firm line. Castle smiled as he shook his head. At least she wasn't really as disgruntled as the front she put on.

"And what about Agent Beckett? What did you think about her?"

Alexis' smile became sly, a glint shown in her eye. "Why?"

Castle schooled his expression, making his best attempt at wide-eyed innocence. He was asking because Beckett was in charge of the safety of his child. That was the reason. The only reason. Really. "Well, you do need to spend every day with her. If she's mean or she doesn't do her job like she's supposed to, then I need to know."

"She's fine, Dad. Serious but respectful."

"Serious but respectful," Castle repeated. It might not be the in depth knowledge he was looking for but it would do for now. Not that he wanted anything other than a professional relationship with the agent. He didn't. That would be wildly inappropriate, he just found her to be... interesting.

Alexis turned once again to her homework; her small tongue sticking out between her teeth as she methodically worked out the problems and filled in the answers. Castle leaned down, brushing a kiss over the top of her bright red hair before pushing himself off the bed, padding toward the door.

"She should smile more." Alexis' voice sounded as he turned the doorknob. "She has a nice smile."

With a smile of his own, Richard Castle pulled open the door and walked out into the now vacant hall, whistling as he started back toward his office and the inevitable line of meetings and anxious advisors. He had a pre-pubescent wingman, not that he had anything but a professional interest in Kate Beckett. He didn't.

Really.

* * *

A/N: Thank you SO MUCH. I was completely blown away by your response to this story. Reading, favoriting, following, reviewing, twitter, tumblr. I have had a permanent grin on my face for the last week and a half because of you all. I hope you continue to enjoy and that you enjoy the "special guest star" in this story. I have loved JB since Back to Where and felt that this was the perfect opportunity to bring her back.

As always, thank you to Kate Christie for being the best beta a girl could ask for and for pointing out "you have used this word 15 times in the chapter. I COUNTED. Fix it." There may or may not be more Monty Python references in your future. :P

Until next time. Xx

Twitter: aspen_musing

Tumblr: aspenmusing


	3. Chapter 3

State of the Union

Chapter 3

"Do you like kids?"

Kate looked down to where Alexis was walking companionably by her side, two thin hands grasping the straps of her oversized backpack up near her shoulders. The tiny gangly girl had yet to hit her adolescent growth spurt, and Kate had spent the first couple of days as her protective detail thinking the Alexis would actually topple over from the weight of the bag.

"I don't know." She replied honestly. "I guess I haven't really been around too many."

"That explains it," Alexis continued as she slipped into the waiting town car.

Kate took one last look around, nodding to Ryan and Esposito who were waiting amicably in the black SUV behind them before slipping in after her. "What do you mean?"

She had been assigned to Alexis Castle for almost a month now, and Kate could honestly admit she was starting to like this detail and her inquisitive charge.

"You don't know how to talk to kids," Alexis explained, shrugging off her backpack onto the seat next between them. "Ryan has like a zillion nieces and nephews so he's comfortable around pretty much anyone and Espo is just cool but you get nervous. Kids can sense that."

"Really?" Kate's eyebrow quirked up.

"Really. You should work on that for when you have your own children."

"I'll keep that in mind," Kate drawled, the back of her hand pressed against her mouth to suppress her smile. She was getting parenting advice from someone a third her age. But then again, who better to teach you how to talk to children than a child?

"Can you do that thing again?"

"What thing?" Kate questioned, her eyes panning their surroundings out the window as they rounded the corner before turning back to her charge.

"The thing with your eyebrow, like Mr. Spock." Alexis explained, her brow scrunching as she studied Kate's face.

"How do you know Mr. Spock?" Kate volleyed back, one eyebrow quirking playfully, her smile spreading wide as Alexis tried and failed to mimic the expression.

"My Dad says a classic sci-fi background is essential to every education. Besides Leonard Nimoy is an institution. Can you do the hand thing too?"

Kate lifted one hand, her fingers splitting into a V.

Alexis' face split into a wide grin as she brought her hand up to mirror the gesture, her voice dropping in imitation of the infamous Vulcan. "Live long and prosper, Agent Beckett."

* * *

"Dad. Dad!" Alexis yelled as she ran through the West Wing, dodging government analysts and harried interns.

"Hey, Pumpkin," Castle replied as he leaned over to catch his daughter in a hug. "How was your day?"

"It was good. I got an A on my Spanish exam and I made three hits in fencing class."

"You hear that?" Castle exclaimed, looking up as Agent Beckett trailed up behind Alexis. "My daughter, a soldier and a scholar."

"She did very well on her debate in English class too," Beckett supplied with a small smile. "I could hear her from all the way in the hall."

"See?" Castle replied, beaming at his daughter. "I told you you could do it. Projecting confidence is key. I say we celebrate with ice cream. I have a meeting right now but I think I have some time afterward for sprinkles."

"We're having ice cream this weekend at my party, Daddy."

"One can never have too much ice cream."

"Fine." Alexis conceded. "But only two scoops."

Castle tapped a finger against his chin in mock contemplation, resisting the urge to wink at the Secret Service agent standing casually to the side, even as Kate attempted to hide her own smile at his antics. "Two scoops, with syrup and sprinkles."

"Whipped cream and cherries?"

"Depends. How did the math homework go?"

"Highest marks."

"Well then, how could I possibly deprive such a good mathematician of whipped cream and cherries! After all, it _is_ brain food."

"Fine…" Alexis drew out on a huff. "Whipped cream and cherries too."

"You drive a hard bargain, my dear. Now, go get changed, put down that stack of bricks you've been carrying around. I will see you in about an hour."

"Bye, Daddy," Alexis replied with a kiss to his cheek. "Bye, Beckett. You're coming to my party this weekend, right?"

Castle looked over to her and Beckett's eyes grew wide at the request. "Oh, Alexis, I don't know, I…"

"Alexis, sweetheart," Castle jumped in. "Agent Beckett has the weekend off. My protective detail is going to be looking out for you too during your birthday."

"Oh," Alexis' eyes fell to the ground as she sighed. "Okay."

"Well, I could always still come," Beckett replied. "You know, as a friend. If that's okay."

Her eyes were on him now and his normal verbose vocabulary was lost to him. "I, uh, yes. Sure. Of course! That would be great. We could even pick you up on the way."

"Oh!" Beckett's eyes grew wide. "Don't worry about that, no need. I'll just get the information from Becky on my way out. I will see you all tomorrow."

"Goodnight, Agent Beckett," Alexis called her grin splitting wide. "See you tomorrow."

"Goodnight, Alexis," Beckett replied with a small smile. "Sir."

And with a perfunctory nod, she turned and was gone.

Castle's eyes trailed after her as she rounded the corner, two fingers coming up to loosen his tie. Had someone turned on the heat by mistake?

Alexis spun on her heels, hands gripping the straps of her backpack as she trotted down the hall toward the East Wing. "You're welcome."

* * *

Kate leaned forward, hands braced on either side of the sink as her reflection stared back at her from the mirror of her hotel room bathroom. Damp hair was stuck to the sides of her neck, plastered to the bare skin of her back. She couldn't do this. She shouldn't do this. Was it even professional to go to her boss's daughter's birthday party? Especially when her boss was The President of the United States?

Besides, she shouldn't be getting this attached. Alexis Castle, as sweet of a kid as she was, was her job, not her friend. She shouldn't have cancelled her plans for the day and she definitely shouldn't have asked Elise to craft a necklace for the girl. What she should do is call and cancel.

Startling, she let out a small yelp as the shrill buzz from the suite's landline phone echoed through the room. The air chilled her skin as she hurried from the still steamy bathroom, her skin breaking out in goose flesh.

"Hello?" She questioned as she sank down on the edge of the bed. One hand cradled the phone to her ear, while the other wrapped around her bare middle.

"Ms. Beckett?" A hesitant voice sounded. "This is Alysha down at the front desk. Your, uh... Your car is here."

Kate's brow furrowed in confusion. "What car?"

"I, uh, he said, um..." The young woman stuttered causing Kate to frown into the phone.

Her frown only deepened as only the muffled sounds of the phone being shuffled answered her.

"Beckett?"

"Sir!" Kate shot to her feet, suddenly acutely aware that she was only dressed in her purple lacy bra and matching underwear as she spoke on the phone to the president.

"I hope you don't mind. There is a very excited newly-twelve-year-old down here who wanted to pick you up on the way to the party."

"No, Sir. Of course. I'm honored." Kate grimaced as the words tumbled from her mouth.

Crimson trailed down her neck to her chest as Castle's chuckle sounded in her ear. "Stand down, Agent. It's a birthday, not dinner with the Queen, though sometimes I think ole Liz would be less intimidating than a room full of preteen girls. Now, based on the look on these agents' faces, I need to go back to the car but we'll see you in a couple minutes?"

"Um yes, Sir."

"Good. Oh, and be ready for battle."

Kate stared at the phone as the dial tone filtered through. Battle?

After a whirlwind of hair and makeup and a brief standoff with her wardrobe, Kate Beckett slipped her key card, credit card and cell phone in her back pocket and sped out the door.

Kate's thumb migrated to her lips, teeth gnawing mindlessly on the edge of her nail as she waited for the elevator. She forced her hand from her mouth when the ding rang out, announcing the lift's arrival, content to tap the toe of her low-heeled black boot as she descended to the ground floor. It was nothing, being picked up by the president. It was nothing. He was a nice man, it probably happened all the time. Small favors. Plus, it had been Alexis' idea anyway, not his.

She shifted the small wrapped package from her right hand to her left and squared her shoulders as she strolled through the lobby. The eyes of the girl behind the desk, Alysha, burned into the back of her skull, and people had stopped to stare at the obvious convoy of police and Denalis blocking the road outside the hotel's revolving door. She graced their usual driver, Marcus Washington, with a small smile as he held the door open for her, and it grew slightly as he grinned back.

"Good morning, Agent Beckett."

"Mr. Washington," Kate replied. "I'm surprised to see you this morning."

"I could say the same about you," Marcus rumbled in his smooth baritone, an impish glint dancing in his chocolate brown eyes.

"Agent Beckett!" Kate's reply died on her lips as the redhead popped out of the backseat. "You live in a hotel? That's so cool!"

Kate huffed out a small laugh as she slid into the car, "Happy birthday, Alexis. This is for you."

Kate watched as the girl tore through the wrapping paper with an enthusiasm that should never diminish with age. The small smile playing on her lips died as she caught a glimpse of the man staring at her from the corner of the seat.

"Mr. President." Kate greeted as she took in his casual appearance: indigo jeans and a well-fitting button down. "No tie today?"

"I could say the same about you." Castle replied and Kate ducked her head, curling a lock of her free-flowing hair as he glanced over her black fitted t-shirt and jeans. "I was starting to believe you owned nothing more than black pant suits. I've been trying to implement a casual Friday but with no success, birthday parties are the best I could do."

"Yes, well you're the one that said I should dress for battle."

"Yes!" Castle clapped his hands, rubbing them together in childlike glee. "Battle!"

"Oh my gosh! This is so cool. Thanks, Agent Beckett."

You're welcome, Alexis." Kate replied with a smile. "I have a friend back in New York who designs jewelry, I asked her to make something special for you."

Alexis smiled as she slipped the long necklace around her neck, securing the pendent beneath the layer of her shirt, explaining as she did. "I don't want it to get ruined today."

"Where exactly are we going anyway?" Kate questioned as she relaxed back into her seat. The surreal feeling of the situation was finally starting to diminish with every turn through the winding DC roads.

The Castles exchanged a look, an identical glint in their eyes as they turned back to her.

"My dear agent, we are on a quest of the utmost importance." The president started. "We will battle on a field where many a lesser man and woman have perished. There will be sweat, there will be tears, and yes, there may even be blood. Many will enter but in the end only one will exit a victor. We about to embark on the adventures of our lives."

Beckett's brow had risen with every sentence, her mouth forming a perfect 'oh' as she turned to Alexis' beaming face for clarification.

"We're going to play laser tag."

* * *

Castle wheezed as his back hit the paint-splattered wall, plastic weapon held in a ready position, his eyes adjusting to the darkness. It was starting to become embarrassingly apparent that running a country didn't leave much room for exercise. A flicker of fluorescence caught his attention and he readied himself to fire as a body hit the wall next to him.

"Stand down, soldier. I'm on your team."

"Beckett? Geez. You're a sight for sore eyes. I was beginning to think I had been abandoned out here. Who knew middle schoolers could be so vicious?"

In the beginning the idea of adults versus kids had seemed like a brilliant plan. Then he had caught a glimpse of his daughter's mischievous smile.

Beckett huffed out a laugh, the whites of her teeth shining in the black light. "It has been awhile since middle school for you hasn't it, sir? Besides, it's not like we have the best tactical team."

Castle nodded as he conceded to her point. If war had to be fought by politicians and dignitaries they would be screwed. "Okay, Agent. What do you suggest?"

Beckett peeked back around the corner, assessing the situation before turning back to him with a firm nod. "Hide."

"Hide?"

"Hide."

He watched with rapt attention as Beckett pulled her hair back into a messy knot, a few missed strands fluttering down to caress the long line of her neck. She truly was gorgeous.

"Permission to speak freely?"

"Huh?" He questioned before shaking his head out of his thoughts. They had slid down to sit side-by-side against a wall in the back of a secluded alcove. "Beckett, we're cowering in the corner of my daughter's birthday party, I thought that permission was implied."

"In that case, the staring is creepy, sir."

"Sorry." He flushed as his head fell back against the wall, his gun hanging between bent knees.

"I'm surprised Agent Kennedy okayed laser tag. It's a safety logistics nightmare."

"Actually paintball was the first choice, so this was a compromise. Contained environment and all. Besides I have you."

"Excuse me?" Her head whipped around, green irises flaring even in the dark.

"I just mean you're here. It- it helped ease some fears."

"I see."

"So..." Castle continued after a stretch of awkward silence save for the excited shouts and laser blasts in the background. "A hotel?"

"I haven't had time to find a place. I was actually supposed to meet with a realtor today." Beckett replied candidly, the point of her gun tapping the heel of one leather boot that made her legs look impossibly long.

"I didn't ask."

"You were not asking very loudly, sir."

Castle let out a chuckle. "So what are you going to do now?"

"Now," Beckett replied as she shifted to a crouch. "I am going to flank left, you're going to flank right and we're going to kick some sixth grade ass."

Castle snapped a salute reminiscent of his days in the Navy, and made a mental note to make some calls when he got back to the office. "Hooah."

* * *

A/N: Thank you as always for reading and for all of your kind words and feedback. This is such a fun story to write, and I am so happy to know you all are enjoying it as well. And thank you as always to Kate Christie for the beta and for making my plot lines better (by ruining them) ;)

Until next time. x Alex

Twitter: aspen_musing

Tumblr: aspenmusing


	4. Chapter 4

State of the Union

Chapter 4

"You bought me an apartment?"

Richard Castle looked up as Kate Beckett stormed into his office, steam billowing from her ears and key dangling from her clenched fingers.

"Oh, good afternoon, Agent Beckett," he replied with an easy smile. "I see Becky gave you the keys."

Beckett shook slightly with pent up anger, shooting another glare across his desk. "You. Bought me. An _apartment."_

"Well, technically it's a condo, not an apartment." Castle corrected as he leaned back, hands folded behind his head. The playful glint in his eye only grew when she responded with a sound akin to a growl. "But yes, I bought myself a condo, which I am happily subletting to you for a very reasonable price since I currently have a place to live. After all, one of my platform points was decreasing homelessness."

"Becky said, and I quote 'here are the keys to your new apartment, Agent Beckett. Everything has been taken care of for you. The utilities have been turned on, and the movers will be there this afternoon with the furniture.' The _furniture_? I don't own any furniture."

"Oh, of that I am painfully aware. And while I am sure you would happily eat, sit and sleep on a single futon in the middle of a utilitarian efficiency, I try to take care of my people." Castle explained with a small smirk, which quickly fell on a sigh when Beckett failed to respond with anything more than a pulsing jaw.

"Look, Beckett," he continued, his tone suddenly serious, as he pushed himself to standing. "You're busy and that's my fault. You got thrown into this job with no notice and barely any time off. You deserve a place to live that doesn't require a suitcase, and I'm just trying to help."

"Fine," she ground out through clenched teeth. "I'll stay there for now, until I can find my own place, but no furniture. I can decorate it myself. And I will be paying rent."

"Deal." Castle smiled.

"Deal," Beckett nodded before turning and stalking back to the door with slightly less menace in her step.

"What? No 'thank you'?" He called as she disappeared from view.

* * *

"He did what?"

"Funny, that was my reaction too. He bought me an apartment." Kate reiterated as she paced the bedroom of her hotel suite. She had forgone a wine glass in favor of drinking straight from the bottle as she vented to her mother. Her four-inch stilettos and black blazer had been discarded in a heap next to the door, and her white button down fluttered half unbuttoned and half untucked as she pressed her cell phone to her ear. "Well, actually he bought himself an apartment which he is subleasing to me like I'm some sort of a kept woman."

"Technically it's a condo, dear."

Kate growled at Johanna Beckett's correction, but opted to take another swig of Cabernet instead of responding.

"The man is a menace. It's like a nine-year-old is running the country, I swear. He just does whatever he wants, whenever he wants regardless of how it may affect or appear to anyone else."

"I'm sure, dear. That must be why his approval ratings are so high." Johanna dismissed, eliciting an eye roll from her daughter. "So, you are going to take it, right?"

"What?" Kate stumbled to a halt, the half empty bottle of wine frozen in the air where she had been waving it in emphasis.

"Are you going to take the _condo_?"

"I. No. Yes. Maybe? I mean, I can't keep living in this hotel, and Lena is going on maternity leave so I need to find another realtor. So I guess. For now. But only until I find another place."

"Uh huh. Just make sure to give me your address so I can send these boxes," Johanna drawled in reply. "Enjoy your new sugar daddy, Katie."

"What? No! Mom. Mom?"

Kate flopped down to sit on the foot of the bed, lifting the wine bottle to her lips as she stared at her still half-packed suitcase. "Traitor."

* * *

The light flickered on and Kate's eyes grew wide as she stared at the newly illuminated living space. It was beautiful. Flawless cherry wood floors stood out in brilliant contrast against the stark white crown molding and matching baseboards. Slowly she stepped over the threshold, the tapping of the heels of her boots echoing through the bare space, bouncing off the tastefully beige walls.

"Wow." She whispered to the empty room. She couldn't tear her eyes from the space as she wheeled her rolling suitcase to a stop and bent down to place the oversized shopping bag containing her newly purchased air mattress and bedding on the floor.

It was perfect. It was everything she would have wanted for herself in an apartment- from the white stone fireplace to the built-in bookcase on the far wall next to the bay window. The pass through to her left let her look into the small yet spacious kitchen, the refrigerator humming happily back at her. The clocks on the microwave and stove had even been set, and an espresso maker sat in the corner, a small envelope taped to the front.

Padding over, she lifted the letter, fingers working carefully to remove the tape completely from the shiny machine.

_I know you said no furnishing but just think of it as a housewarming present. Essentials are in the fridge. RC_

Curiosity had her hand reaching toward the handle to the refrigerator before she could stop it.

"Son of a bitch," she muttered as she took in the contents. A gallon of organic skim milk, a pound of freshly ground espresso roast from her favorite coffee shop and a bottle of sugar-free vanilla syrup.

With a huff she swung the door shut but she couldn't stop the upward tilt of her lips as she wandered away from the sweet yet scarily accurate gift. She finally forced herself away from the counter, her skin humming at the thought of that first foamy sip of vanilla latte she was going to have in the morning.

The hallway to her left led to a bedroom with a walk-in closet, which had Kate nodding. It would be perfect for an office or guest room. Not that she would be staying long enough to expect guests. This was only temporary, until she had enough time to find her own place. The door directly across the hall led to a small bathroom. But it wasn't until she reached the end of the hall that she stopped in her tracks. The master bedroom, if the word bedroom was even enough to describe it, had her frozen.

"Holy shit!" She exclaimed on a wheeze as she took in the grand room.

Double the size of the other bedroom, the master suite had warm burgundy walls and a small chandelier where an overhead light should be. She forced her feet to walk across the plush carpet to the French doors on the far wall, opening them to find a small balcony overlooking the park next door. Turning, her eyes landed on the en suite housing a closet that rivaled the size of her previous apartment, and a bathroom with a walk-in shower and jacuzzi tub that would put some swimming pools to shame.

She couldn't do it. She couldn't stay here. It was too much. It was inappropriate. She would stay the night, and check into another hotel in the morning. But even with those goals resolute in her mind, all she could think while she inflated the flimsy mattress was how amazing the space felt- like for the first time in the past twelve years, she was where she was meant to be.

* * *

Richard Castle stared at the stack of pages on his desk. The sun was barely peeking over the horizon, but his coffee had long gone cold. With a sigh he reached down to his bottom desk drawer and pulled out a thin Manila folder. The picture clipped to left side smiled back at him. He snapped the folder shut, spinning in his chair to face the wall of windows behind him.

They had told him he would never be president. _The American people will never elect a single, divorced man to office. _It didn't matter what his vision was for the country or how good he would be for the job, he wasn't the embodiment of the American Dream- happily married with 2.5 kids and a white picket fence, and therefore the electorate would dismiss him without even the smallest chance.

He had tried anyway. In the end three facts had given him an edge over his competition. His volunteering to be a single father to a precocious little girl and his divorce based on his wife's infidelity had won him the sympathy vote, and his arguably ruggedly handsome good looks had won him the vote of women between the ages of eighteen and thirty-nine and sixty-five and older.

He had made history, not based on his environmental or equal rights initiatives, or anything else that mattered in politics, but he had made it. Now, it was another feat to keep it. His advisors had warned him from the first day he had placed his name on the ballot that he would not only have to be single for the next four years of his life, he would have to be celibate. No trysts, no late night liaisons, no dating, no female friends accompanying him to state dinners.

He had agreed. He had managed to do it, unintentionally, for many years before, so a few more wouldn't matter. Then Katherine Beckett had waltzed into his life and his dreams, and suddenly all those intentions were turning on end. He had thought the feeling would diminish- the more time spent together, the less mysterious she would become and the less he would feel. That plan had backfired spectacularly. With every moment he spent with her, he craved more.

Now, he had a choice to make- his happiness or the happiness of his country. In the end it was no competition. He had a golden opportunity. It couldn't be a choice, it shouldn't. Yet it was.

A knock on his door had him turning back to his desk.

"Come in."

"Sir, I don't mean to intrude but Becky isn't in yet."

And just like that the object of his musings was striding across his office, two coffees in hand. The hesitant expression on her face a sharp contrast to the confident smile that had peered back at him from the photograph.

"It's not a problem," he stated with a calm smile as she placed a plastic to-go cup of coffee on his desk. "I see you found the espresso maker."

"Yes, sir. Thank you, it was a very generous gift."

"But?" Castle sighed as he lifted himself from his seat, taking his coffee with him as he rounded the desk.

"But," she continued with a wan smile. "I can't accept it, any of it. It's too much and it could be seen as..."

"Beckett," he interrupted. "It's an apartment, a place to sleep that doesn't charge by the night and is conveniently close to work. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Yes, sir." Her eyes fell at the words and he couldn't ignore the regret churning in his gut. "I should go."

His hand darted out, catching hers before his brain could stop it— a desperate attempt at clinging to hope.

"I, uh..." He stuttered, her eyes meeting his. "Thank you. Cappuccino. How did you know?"

"You're not the only one who pays attention."

All the air left his lungs like a punch to the gut. There it was. Hope.

* * *

Kate's gaze fell to where his fingers held lightly to the meaty flesh of her hand, heat smoldering between them. His words came out low, warm, causing her eyes to flicker back up to his. Green met blue with a sizzling current that threatened to send the whole room up in flame. "The apartment. Just think about it. Your choice. Your move."

She nodded, a slow jerking motion that sent the room spinning. There was a weight in his words, one that had her taking a half step toward him despite the voice screaming in the back of her head to stop.

The beat of her heart thumped loudly in her ears, the staccato rhythm pounding courage to her still silent lips. Then the heat was gone, cool air replacing where his fingers had been and Castle cleared his throat, calling out a command his eyes never leaving hers.

"Sorry to interrupt, sir." Becky's voice filtered through her clouded mind and Kate had to force herself not to jump back, even as every one of her muscles seized. "Agent Sorenson asked to see you."

"Right. Agent, good to see you." the president stated, finally dragging his gaze from her to an unseen spot over her shoulder.

Kate staggered back as she turned to meet the other agent's eye, willing her face not to betray the level of nervousness she felt.

"Mr. President, I just need five minutes of your time. Agent Beckett," Will greeted, his eyes narrowing as he looked between the two of them. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"Sorenson," Kate returned in kind. "I was actually just leaving."

She turned back to the president, forcing her heart back down into her chest with a swallow. "Thank you for your time. Mr. President. I should be going."

"Agent Beckett." Castle dismissed her with a nod and Kate willed her legs to stay steady as she slipped by Sorenson and out the door.

* * *

"I hear you got a new place."

Beckett looked up from her stare down with the coffee maker to see Will leaning against the doorjamb. She needed to go. Alexis and the boys would be waiting by now. Her legs had barely made it down the hall to the break room before she had been forced to stop, her entire body shaking, buzzing with electricity.

"What's it to you?"

Will chuckled as he pushed himself up and crossed the room to her side. "There's been a lot of chatter the last few weeks. Kennedy and Fitzpatrick? They are pissed that the president went over their heads and hired you."

The front of his body pressed against the edge of hers, his breath hot against her skin as he leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Be careful, Katie. No one wants a scandal and you... you're the expendable one."

* * *

A/N: I am seriously so blown away by the response to this story. Thank you so much, as always, for your love and support. And for those who have asked, no I have not given up on Chasing Nirvana. I promise.

As always, thank you to KC for being an awesome beta and friend. I owe you a whole vat of that Texan Life Water.


	5. Chapter 5

State of the Union

Chapter 5

Kate accepted the pudding cup Agent Ryan offered her with a small smile, and settled back in her chair as he chucked another one across the table at Agent Esposito. A month had passed since her encounter with the president in his office and her "conversation" with Will in the break room, but despite her best intentions to find a new home, weekends spent searching classifieds had been cast aside in favor of scouting furniture stores and antique markets. First a bedroom set with a sinfully soft, queen-sized mattress migrated into her bedroom, followed quickly by a couch and coffee table for her living room. The boxes her mother had shipped still sat, unpacked against the wall by the front door leaving the bookcases in the wall frightfully bare.

She had made a promise to herself that night after her confrontation with Will— she would keep her head down at work, do her job to the best of her ability and go home at night to enjoy her happily solitary existence. And it had been easy, too easy.

As hard as she had been trying to avoid Castle, he had been ten times more successful at avoiding her. Conversations she had with the president had been formal at best— full of short statements and downcast eyes.

Whatever it was that had happened between them in his office, it had burnt both of them, and as afraid as she was of stoking that fire again, the hurt of the rift that was forming between them was almost devastating.

Kate huffed as she pulled back the foil from the top of the butterscotch Snack Pack. She hated him for it, for making her into this person. This person who played games and fantasized about clearing the desk in the Oval Office of more than just _legal_ briefs.

"You in, Beckett?"

"Hmm?" She questioned inelegantly as Esposito's voice broke through her spiral of thoughts.

"Tonight? O'leary's?" Espo asked again, spooning a heaping mound of pudding to his lips. "Pool and beer?"

"Jenny will be there," Ryan added in causing Beckett to smile, her head nodding in agreement. From everything Ryan had said Jenny sounded sweet. Besides, it would be nice not to be alone.

"Sure. Sounds great." The two other agents shared a look and Beckett made a show of swirling her spoon around in the little plastic cup before lifting it to her lips. "What?"

"You said yes..." Espo stated, his words slow, eyebrows raised. "You've never said yes before. Are you okay? Running a fever? Do you have to be excused to the nurses office?"

"Oh, shut up," Beckett shot back, her smile giving way to a short laugh. "I'm allowed to be social."

"Obviously, but you've never been social with _us_ before." Ryan piped up.

"_Dude_," Espo hissed.

"What?" Ryan questioned, oblivious of his slip up.

It was no secret that the rumor mill worked fast in the White House but thankfully the boys had thought better of making any commentary on any rumors about Beckett and the president that were no doubt circling. But Beckett's attention was no longer on the two bickering men at her table.

"Guys? Where's Alexis?" She forced the words out, her eyes never leaving the empty seat and half eaten lunch tray at the table across the cafeteria.

"She went to the bathroom." Espo shrugged, his spoon diving back in for the last scrapings of chocolate swirl pudding.

"Yes, but that was like ten minutes ago. She should be back by now."

All three were pushing out of their chairs as Ryan checked his watch with a curse.

"Espo, ask her friends if they've seen her. Ryan talk to the teacher monitoring the door. I'll check the bathroom."

Beckett sped out of the room with as much speed as she could without causing alarm. A trio of teenaged girls gave her sideways glances giggled as they passed her entering the girl's bathroom.

"Alexis?" She called, holding back a curse as only the sounds of shuffling clothes and feet met her. "Alexis!"

"She's not in here." The reply came from the far stall, and a toilet flushing as the door swung open, a young brunette wandering out. "She was but Miss Anderson came to get her. Said the principal wanted to see her."

"Thanks, Maggie," Beckett replied, already halfway out the door.

The click of her heels echoed against the lines of lockers as she hurried down the mostly abandoned halls, making a sharp turn into the administration office.

Peggy Anderson, the principal's middle-aged assistant greeted her with a grin. "Good afternoon, Agent Beckett. What can I do for you?"

"Peggy, is Alexis here?"

"She was but she left," Peggy answered with a frown, her brow creasing in confusion. "Her mother came and got her. Ms. Harper told Alexis not to worry about you all. I assumed she had a detail of her own and they had let you know."

"Her mother? Son of a bitch!" Beckett cursed as she ran out of the office, Peggy's apologies fading behind her. Her mind whirled as she barked orders to Ryan and Esposito through her earpiece. She would face suspension at best when she made it back to the office, but that was the least of her problems. Right now she had to find her young charge.

"Espo, get ahold of Sorenson. See if Meredith Harper checked in, if she has a detail, where they are going— whatever you can find. Ryan, ping Alexis' cell phone. Both of you meet me at your car. Now."

Alexis' cell phone rang, the jingle grating on Kate's nerves before it clicked to voicemail. With a curse Beckett stormed out the front door of the school. She was so screwed.

* * *

Kate spun the wheel, the black SUV making a sharp left as Ryan shouted out directions from the back seat.

"According to Sorenson, Ms. Harper has not checked in at the White House. She doesn't have a detail. They didn't even know she was in town." Esposito informed them as he flipped his phone shut. "This is bad."

"No shit," Beckett mumbled under her breath as she steered the car onto the highway. "Where the hell are they going?"

"Sorenson and Kennedy are sending another team to hopefully head them off. They don't want us to call the DCPD though. Want to keep this as quiet as possible."

Kate let out a huff. "Anything to avoid a scandal. Have they even told the president yet?"

Her eyes flickered over to Esposito when only silence answered her.

"They haven't told him?"

"I…" Espo stuttered, but his response was cut off as Ryan's voice sounded again from the backseat.

"They exited a few miles ahead."

Beckett's foot stomped down on the accelerator as she swerved through traffic. Esposito clawed for his seatbelt as Ryan slid across the backseat with an "oomf" before bracing his free hand against the back of the passenger side seat to keep himself upright.

"Fuck."

The word left all three sets of lips in unison as they read the exit signs advertising the proper lanes for Dulles International Airport.

"We are so fired." Ryan muttered, and neither of the others could disagree. The airport was huge and they could be anywhere. Finding the girl would be nearly impossible.

"Ryan, keep trying her cell. Espo, get Dulles on lockdown. Nothing takes off, nothing lands. No one leaves or enters until we find her."

"Phone's going straight to voicemail now."

"Lockdown isn't keeping it quiet."

"I don't care."

Espo only nodded as he dialed. They were going to be fired anyway, might as well go out swinging, and with a twelve-year-old once again safe in the arms of her father.

* * *

"What is the hold up, we were supposed to start boarding ten minutes ago?"

Beckett almost collapsed in relief as she tore around the corner to find two almost identical heads of red hair standing at the boarding counter for Air France's 1:45 direct flight to Paris.

"Alexis."

"Agent Beckett!" The girl called back, her smile quickly falling as she looked between the agent and her mother. "Mom said you knew."

"Oh, you must be Kate. Alexis has been going on about you for months now. I'm so happy to finally meet you." Meredith Harper greeted her with an easy grin, like ditching a presidential security detail for an impromptu trip to Paris was nothing short of ordinary.

"Ryan, Espo. I got her," Beckett spoke into her earpiece before turning back to the pair, willing her voice to stay steady. "Alexis, come on. We're going home. Now. Ms. Harper, if you will please come with me as well. I know there are plenty of people who will want to talk to you."

Alexis ducked her head as she slunk over to Kate's side, fingers playing with the hem of her blue plaid skirt.

"Oh, but I promised Alexis a weekend in Paris since I missed her birthday. It was going to be just lovely. Just us girls. Much more civilized than that silly game with laser guns," Meredith protested as she adjusted the strap of Alexis' backpack over her shoulder.

"Ms. Harper." Kate replied, the words ground out through clenched teeth.

"Fine. Ricky never used to be this stringent. He used to be spontaneous and fun, always up for a weekend getaway. There was this one trip to Niagara Falls, oh I don't think we left the cottage all weekend..."

Kate blanched slightly and the girl at her side grimaced. "Yes, well he didn't used to be the President of the United States either."

* * *

Kate sat, head hanging as she willed herself not to get sick. The adrenaline had worn off leaving her an exhausted mess. After a series of bear hugs from her father, Alexis had been sent, shoulders slouched, feet shuffling, to her room. Now, Kate sat next to Ryan and Esposito in chairs just outside the Oval Office, all trying and failing to ignore the yells emanating from the other side of the door.

"Paris, Meredith?"

"Relax, Richard. I don't know why everyone is so upset. She was perfectly safe the whole time. I am her mother, I would never let anything happen to her."

"You don't get it do you? If someone tried to come after her, there would be nothing _you _could do to stop them. That is why she has a detail of agents. To _protect _her."

"And a lot of good that did. It was way too easy to ditch them."

"Yes, and they will be dealt with accordingly, but the fact is that you shouldn't have tried to ditch them in the first place. I think it's great that you wanted to spend time with Alexis, a trip to Paris would have been very nice for the two of you, but you need to come to me first. We would have had it planned, gotten a team of agents together to go with you."

"Oh, Richard," Meredith dismissed. "You're just upset because I made your little girlfriend look bad."

"My… my what?" Castle spluttered back.

"That agent, the one Alexis has been going about. Kate is it?"

Beckett's eyes grew wide as both Ryan and Esposito turned to look at her.

"Oh god," she groaned. She really was going to be sick.

"Agent Beckett has nothing to do with this and she is _definitely_ not my girlfriend. She is the agent in charge of our daughter's safety. Something that you don't seem to care about at all."

Kate's stomach flipped. The way he had denied any form of relationship shouldn't have hurt as much as it did. There was no relationship, but the way he had denied it so vehemently cut her to the core.

"Agent Ryan, Agent Esposito."

All three of their heads turned to see Agent Kennedy approaching, his voice as gruff as his expression.

"Yes, sir." The two men replied as they stood in unison.

"With me. Agent Beckett, you're next."

Both of the other agents exchanged a look, shooting her twin worries glances as they trailed after their boss, shoulders square, heads held high.

Kate's eyes drifted closed as her head fell back against the wall behind her. She had gotten lax, but Alexis had proven herself to be a good, smart kid. She hadn't tried to ditch them, she hadn't even thrown a tantrum about being followed around 24/7, so Kate had started giving her some leeway, while in the school at least. She should have never let Alexis go to the bathroom by herself, even if it was right across the hall from the cafeteria. She shouldn't have been sitting in the first place. There should have been one of them posted at each door, with the last glued to the girl's side. It wouldn't happen again, at least not if she still had a job at the end of the day.

"Two week suspension."

"What?"

Beckett's eyes popped open as Will plopped down into the vacant seat beside hers, his thigh pressing against hers.

"Kennedy and Fitzpatrick are spitting bricks but you're not fired. You're welcome."

He shot her a smug grin, and she couldn't hold back the eye roll that slipped out in response.

"Thanks," she drawled.

"Your boyfriend's kid also might have had something to do with it. Stormed in there, eyes blazing, insisting that it was her fault not yours. She's pretty scary for such a little thing."

"Ugh!" She groaned, despite the slight flip of her heart at the knowledge that Alexis had stood up for her. Her hands came up to run over her face, scrubbing at her eyes. "He's _not_ my boyfriend!"

She had to suppress a second growl at the feeling of tentative fingers on her knee, and she shot a glare over her shoulder. "And neither are you. Anymore."

The door beside them flew open before he could respond, the older redhead storming out. Meredith's eyes landed on Kate, and she snorted out a huff of disgust before stomping off down the hall, fiery mane swinging. Kate turned her attention back to the office to find the president standing mere feet away at the door, one hand on the knob, the other braced on the frame. His jaw clenched, eyes darting between her and Will, before meeting her gaze for a second that lasted an hour, anger and hurt swirling back at her. And then he was gone, the wall shaking as the door slammed shut.

Will huffed out a laugh that sounded suspiciously like _'yeah, right'_ and his hand squeezed her knee gently as he pushed out of his chair, leaning down to whisper in her ear.

"Happy birthday, Katie."

* * *

A/N: I know I've said it every chapter but I truly am blown away by your response to this story. Thank you for all the love! It really is a pleasure to write this story for all of you to enjoy. :)

P.S.- Sorenson: Good guy? Bad guy? Discuss. ;)

A thank you, as always to Kate Christie for being an awesome beta and helping me out with this chapter despite her crazy superwoman-esque schedule.

And an extra special thank you to Travis for my new cover art. It is perfect! Xx

Until next time... ;)

Twitter: aspen_musing

Tumblr: aspenmusing


	6. Chapter 6

State of the Union

Chapter 6

Kate groaned, her face mashed into her pillow, as her hand flopped on the nightstand, feeling for the offending buzzing object that had jolted her from her fuzzy yet seemingly satisfying dream. She propped herself up on her elbows, her free hand attempting to rub the grain from her eyeballs and the cotton from her mouth as she pulled the phone into her line of sight.

"'Lo?" She murmured into the receiver, giving up trying to get her eyes to focus on the screen.

"Happy belated birthday, Katherine."

"Mom?"

"Yes, dear, this is your mother. You sound terrible, did you just wake up?"

"Of course I just woke up. Why are you calling me so early?"

"Dear, it's noon."

"It's what?" Kate questioned as she wiped a hand down her chin, grimacing at the slimy line of drool she found leading to her pillow. "Ugh. No not possible. I haven't slept past eight in years."

"Well, unless someone snuck in during the middle of the night and adjusted all of our clocks forward, it's definitely 12:03 in the afternoon."

Kate let out a moan which turned into a groan as she rolled onto her back, the steel drum band playing in her temples kicking up a decibel as her head landed on the mattress.

"We tried to call you last night but you didn't answer," Johanna continued, like Kate wasn't dying a slow painful death on the other end of the line.

"Yeah, I, um, I went out with some friends," Kate forced out, her arm flipping over her eyes. Who would she have to call to turn off the sun?

She had tried to beg off after getting out of her "meeting" with Fitzpatrick and Kennedy, figuring no one would be in a celebratory mood, but the boys had waylaid her in the hall, practically dragging her down the street to their favorite pub.

By the time Jenny had slid into the booth two hours later, one round of commiseratory beers had turned into three. The beers had then turned into a game of pool, which had lead to shaking down a group of uppity lawyers and then in turn a drinking contest in a last ditch effort for the lawyers to win their money back.

Ryan had turned green first, relying on Jenny to help him stagger out of the bar and hopefully remain incident-free back to their apartment just across the District line into Maryland. Two of the lawyers and Javi had quickly followed, the bartender cursing them all the way to the questionable men's room in the back of the establishment, and Kate had been left to take down the last and most outspoken of their rivals. Another fifth of vodka later, she had stepped over his prone form as she wobbled out of the bar of her own accord.

Kate smacked gummy lips together as her mind wandered from the one-sided conversation her mother was having on the other end of the phone about Thanksgiving. There was something niggling at the back of her mind. Something small that she couldn't quite put her finger on...

"So how's President Castle?" Her mother asked, an amused lilt tinting her voice. "Jump his bones yet?"

Kate bolted up in bed, groaning slightly at the piercing pain that shot through her frontal lobe as her brain protested the sudden movement. But it came secondary to the panic coursing through her veins.

"Mom, I gotta go. I'll call you back," she interrupted her mother's monologue as her eyes darted around the space, before falling to her body clad only in a bra and underwear. Her pants were hanging precariously off of the edge of the chair in the corner by the closet, her shoes, shirt and jacket walking a staggered line from the door.

She forced her eyes back to the phone, muttered a curse as it fell from her fumbling fingers. Picking it up again, she clicked over to her call list.

"No. No no no," she muttered to her herself, her eyes locked on the second number on the list, directly below the call from her mother.

Pressing it she held the phone to her ear, wincing as the automated message for the White House began to play in her ear. Her stomach rolled, bile gurgling up her esophagus. She was going to be sick.

She had drunk dialed the President of the United States of America.

* * *

"Oh God" were the only two words she had managed to mutter as she paced back and forth in the galley kitchen, her hands fisted in her tangled mane of hair.

Maybe she hadn't managed to actually speak to him; maybe it has just been an attendant. Maybe she hung up before even making it past the automated message. Her forehead fell into the wall. One fist left her hair to thump against the drywall, matching the beat inside her head.

"Fuck," she let out on a pained groan as her eyes fell closed, her clenched fist pressing into the plaster.

She was so fired.

The rapping on the front door had her eyes popping open as her head lifted from the now vibrating wall.

"Agent Beckett?" A voice called and a string of expletives flew from her lips as she pulled her rumpled robe off the small mountain of laundry growing next to the washing machine. At least during unemployment she would have time to take care of that, along with the pile of dishes in the sink.

"One second!" She called as she knotted the sash at her waist and ran her fingers through her hair, grimacing at each tangle they hit.

With one final deep breath she pulled the door open, squinting into the harsh fluorescent lights flooding the hallway. "Yes?"

A young aid in a grey suit looked her up and down with a smirk before holding out both his hands, a cup of coffee in one and a white paper pharmacy bag in the other. "Ma'am. Courtesy of the president."

"Thanks." Kate replied with a wince. A blush burned from her collarbones to the tips of her ears as she grabbed the proffered items.

"Oh," the young man turned back to look at her as he wandered down the hall. "Note's in the bag."

Kate let out a grunt of acknowledgement as she pushed the door shut with her elbow. Allowing herself a sip of the still steaming latte, she placed the bag on the counter contemplating it for a moment before unfolding the top and tilting it over to peer inside. She regretted the automatic eye roll a moment later as she reached in and pulled out a bottle of aspirin. Popping two into her mouth she took another swig of coffee before reaching back into the bag for the folded sheet of paper. Sucking in a deep breath, she flipped open the note, wincing slightly as her eyes focused on the words.

_6pm. East Wing. RC_

With a moan she slid down onto a stool, her head falling to rest on her outstretched arm.

She was so fired.

* * *

Her hair was hanging in a curtain around her face when he answered the door at 6:01pm, oversized sunglasses shielding her eyes from the setting sun. Part of him didn't think she would actually come, not after how he had been acting toward her the last few weeks and especially not after what had happened the day before.

"Hi." He greeted, his fingers waving somewhat inanely as she continued to stare at him. At least he assumed she was staring from behind those black lenses.

"Hi." She stated in return as she shifted from foot to foot, not making a move to cross the threshold.

"Come in," he prompted again, moving to the side to clear the path through the doorway. An easy smile graced his lips as she finally stepped past, returning his smile hesitantly. "Alexis is at a sleepover. I ordered Chinese. I don't know about you but Chinese is my favorite hangover food. I practically lived off the stuff in college."

Beckett's back stiffened as he brushed past her to take the lead down the hall.

"Sir," She began as he motioned for her to have a seat at the dining room table, which was overflowing with, take out containers. "I just wanted to come by to apologize for whatever I said last night. I know what I did was unprofessional, and I am very sorry if I offended you in any way. Between that and what happened yesterday with Alexis, I will talk to Agent Kennedy Monday about my resignation and…"

Castle's eyes grew wider with every word; watching as she peeled the glasses from her face, gaze still not meeting his. Both of them were standing awkwardly next to the table.

"Agent… Kate. I didn't ask you to come here to fire you," he interrupted, fingers fiddling with the flap of one flimsy white container. "I wanted to apologize to _you_."

Her eyes shot up from the hole she had been staring into the carpet, her tone incredulous. "Apologize to me? Why?"

"Well, I uh…" It was his cheeks that burned this time, his blunt fingernails coming up to scratch an imaginary itch on the back of his neck. He looked back up, their eyes locking for a fleeting moment before he drew his attention back to the pile of egg rolls. Katherine Beckett scared him more than Putin with an itchy trigger finger. He was the president of arguably the most powerful nation in the world, commander and chief of the armed forces; he could have this conversation. "I have been letting personal feelings get in the way of our professional relationship. Because of that I have been treating you rudely and you deserve an apology."

It was her who was staring at him with wide eyes now.

"I, what?" She questioned inanely.

"It became very clear after what happened last night," Castle plunged on only to be interrupted by the woman in front of him.

"Sir, I um," Beckett stuttered. "I'm sorry but what exactly happened last night? It's kind of fuzzy…"

Castle huffed out a chuckle. "How drunk were you?"

"Very, sir."

"Well, you'd be happy to know you didn't sound a drink past happily buzzed on the phone."

"There was a drinking contest with a group of cocky lawyers." Beckett groaned out, her fingers pressing to her temple adorably as she glanced at him.

Castle shook his head, offering up a glass of water that she accepted with a grateful smile. "You win at least?"

"Wiped the floor with them. Literally."

He couldn't help the idiotic sense of pride that swelled in his chest. "Who fell first?"

"Ryan."

"Not surprised."

"Esposito promised to have him whipped into shape by St. Patrick's Day."

They shared a smile, the tension in the room crackling until it broke, and they slid into chairs on opposite sides of the table in an unspoken truce. The conversation fell into a lull as they passed cartons back and forth.

"What did I say?" Kate finally asked as she lifted her chopsticks to her lips, holding a helping of chicken and broccoli with the skills of a person who had lived off of take out for the majority of her adult life.

"You apologized again for what happened with Alexis." He started with the easy topic first, gauging her reaction as he bit into a spring roll.

"I..." She started again, remorse filling her eyes and the single syllable.

"Look, Kate. Just like I told Kennedy and Fitzpatrick, much to their dismay, and as I told you last night on the phone- you wouldn't still be on her detail if I didn't trust you to protect her."

"But, sir, I _lost_ her!"

"Yes, and you got her back."

Beckett huffed at that, the unspoken question hanging between them. The same question no one had been brave enough to ask him the day before.

"Beckett," he began again quietly, his words carefully chosen. "Everything else aside, you are a good agent and one of the only ones I trust with my daughter. Nothing is more important to me than her safety. _Nothing_."

"Understood, sir."

He nodded as he started in on the bourbon chicken, stifling a moan as he took his first bite. It had been way too long since he had had take out. They needed to make this a weekly thing.

Glancing back up, he caught sight of the small smile playing on Kate's lips as she leaned back in the chair, chopsticks pressed against her grin. Maybe that moan hadn't been quite as stifled as he had wanted.

"What?" he asked, the question coming out more with whine than nonchalance.

"Nothing." She shot back, only the tease of a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

Kate reached across the table for another container, exclaiming a happy "oh" as she opened it to find it contained lo mien and they fell into another comfortable silence. He was surprised to find how much he was enjoying the company. Not because she was a gorgeous woman who he had been hopelessly falling for since he moment he saw her, but because she treated him like a fellow human instead of the President of the United States. Well, besides addressing him as "sir" or "Mr. President." For the first time in many years, he didn't feel the need to be anyone beside himself.

"What else?"

"Huh?" He asked with a complete lack of elegance as her voice pulled him from his reverie.

"What else did I say on the phone?" She repeated, her attention held fast on the box of noodles.

He frowned, focusing in on his own meal as he spoke. "You told me that you and Sorenson had dated for about six months while you were still in the FBI but you are in no way still together or getting back together ever and that he was, and I quote, "acting like a jealous bastard" and he was definitely not the man you were interested in. You were very emphatic about that last part." He pushed out the words in a single breath, not pausing until he reached at the end, wincing as he waited for her reaction.

She stared back at him, chopsticks frozen halfway to her lips, her jaw slack.

"Oh god," she groaned, her food falling back into the carton as she flopped back in her chair, hands coming up to cover her face. "I am so _so_ sorry."

"Why?" Castle asked, his boldness taking over. He'd spent the last eight years of his life, since divorcing Meredith, doing what he was supposed to do to make it in politics. Be bold at work but keep his head down, don't cause a stir, no scandals, being the perfect parent- not that he minded that one, never stepping a foot out of line. He had dated on occasion, but always to women his advisors had stated were the right type. None of them had gone beyond a few dates. Now, here was this beautiful, smart, strong, sophisticated, magnetic woman who could verbally spar with the best of them, a counter parry and thrust for every move he made. He had tried to ignore it, the pull he had felt since first laying eyes on her, the heat that flashed through his veins at every fleeting touch. It was wrong; it was unprofessional. It had the potential to blow up into the biggest scandal the White House had ever seen, one that would have everyone saying "Monica who?" but he couldn't bring himself to care anymore. He was tired of playing it safe, of living on the sidelines of his own life. "I'm not."

* * *

A/N: I feel like a broken record but it deserves to be said ever chapter, thank you for all of your kinds words, support and flails for this story. You all truly do make it a pleasure to write. And thank you, as always to Kate Christie for the beta, you're a rock star.


	7. Chapter 7

State of the Union

Chapter 7

"Hi honey!"

Kate couldn't help the smile that spread wide across her face as her mother swung open the door of their Manhattan apartment.

"Hey mom," she murmured in reply as Johanna Beckett pulled her only child into a bone-crushing hug. "Happy Thanksgiving."

"Happy Thanksgiving, Katie. Come in, come in!" Johanna stated as she ushered her daughter inside. "You're early! We didn't expect you until late tonight or tomorrow morning. Your father is still at the office."

"Yeah, well I got some more time off than I expected," Kate replied with a tight smile. Her gaze studiously avoided her mother's as she wandered further into the apartment, swinging her duffle bag off of her shoulder and onto the couch.

"Katherine Houghton."

Kate grimaced at the use of her full name and took a deep breath as she forced her eyes up. Her mother glared back at her with arms crossed tightly across her chest, a penetrating stare Kate had come to know all too well as a teenager.

"I was kind of suspended." Kate replied, the words coming out in a rush as she picked her bag back up off of the couch and swiftly moved away from her mother and toward her childhood bedroom.

"What? Katie! What happened?" Johanna questioned as she chased Kate through the apartment and through the doorway to the room that had been thankfully made over in previous years from teenage-chic to that of a respectable guest room.

"There was an incident," Kate huffed out as she plopped her bag down on the queen sized bed with a little more force than necessary, and proceeded to press it into the mattress with her fists. "I let my guard down and lost Alexis."

"The first daughter?" Johanna asked incredulously, her eyebrows shooting toward her hairline. "You lost the first daughter and you still have a job?"

"It was for less than an hour and I got her back." The whine that left Kate's lips had her skin flushing from her neck to the tips of her ears.

"Uh huh, and I'm guessing President Ruggedly Handsome had nothing to do with that?"

"Mom!" Kate admonished, her hands flailing up in emphasis. "He is my boss. The freaking president of the United States. Will you please stop talking about him like that?"

"So he had nothing to do with your not being fired on the spot?"

Kate rolled her eyes, fingers tearing at the zipper of her bag. "No, in fact he did not. Alexis stood up for me and so did Will."

"Will, huh?"

Kate groaned at the smirk playing on her mother's lips. She had walked straight into that one.

"Yes, Will Sorenson," she responded, deciding on the nonchalant route. "You remember him."

"The man who dumped you without a second thought to move to DC and later let you take the fall for what happened in Chicago even after you took a bullet? Yes, I believe I remember him."

"It wasn't like that and you know it."

"I know you are too quick to take the blame for others' actions."

Kate huffed and her shoulder twinged. The pains were few and far between now after two surgeries and months of physical therapy but every once in a while it would creep up, a dull, throbbing reminder of what a moment of carelessness could do. She had been having nightmares, ones where she found Alexis lying on the ground, vacant eyes staring toward the heavens, blood spilling from her lips and chest. Yes, a single moment of carelessness, of letting her guard down, could cost lives.

"I messed up in Chicago," she replied softly, her head hanging, hands fisted in the soft cotton of her clothing. "I broke formation, I didn't listen. I put my life and the lives of countless others at risk. I should have just done my job and did what I was told. I'm just lucky I was the only one hurt. But now it's not just some pompous politician I'm protecting, it's a little girl and she's so smart and sweet and Castle has full confidence in me when it comes to her and if I mess up now..."

"Katie," Johanna sighed, stepping over to run a hand through Kate's hair, gently scratching at her scalp in that calming way that only a mother could. "I wasn't there, all I know is what you told me, but sometimes you have to take risks, think outside of the box, not be afraid to "break formation". You have no idea what could have happened if you had listened to that intel, which was apparently very poor. Many more people could have been hurt. You saved lives that day, you should have been honored not sanctioned."

Kate nodded, a short, jerking movement. She had been telling herself that as a mantra for months, she had done the right thing. She had argued that same point at review boards and interviews, but self-doubt had an annoying way of creeping in especially when the life of a child was on the line. If something happened to that girl Castle would never forgive her. She would never forgive herself.

"What's going on in your head, Katie?" Her mother's voice was softer now, the frustration and teasing edge dissolving with the tension in the room. As Kate deflated down onto the edge of the bed, Johanna settled down beside her, pulling Kate into her side, an arm wrapped around her shoulders.

"I like him, Mom." She murmured into her mother's shoulder, reveling in the calm of her scent, memories of childhood bubble baths and bedtime stories, of cuddling up on the couch amidst teenaged heartbreak. "I like him a lot."

* * *

Kate took a deep breath as she started in the mirror, turning slightly to take in how the silky jade fabric of the dress flowed around her, the hem glancing over her knees. The rest of her suspension and her first week back had passed without incident. Granted she hadn't allowed the twelve year-old to be more than five feet away from her at any given time and by Friday evening she had the feeling they were both starting to get a little irritated. Of course, irritated was better than missing or dead, so Kate braced herself for an evening full of annoyed adolescents at the school's winter formal.

She could be wearing her usual uniform of a black suit with a white button down, she probably should be, but after Castle had leaned in close to her, his words caressing her ear, the line of her neck, and stated he couldn't wait to see her in a dress, she had found herself reaching for the garment bags buried in the back of her closet rather than her usual wear.

It had been three weeks since that dinner and they hadn't talked about it, whatever it was. Even that night they had simply eaten their food, talking about every inane topic under the sun from who was the best Marx brother to arguing about the potential of hidden philosophy in Monty Python's sketches. Her lips split into a wide grin at the memory. Her cheeks had hurt from how much she had laughed. Dinner had turned into coffee as they curled up facing each other on opposite ends of the couch in front of the happily crackling fireplace. They hadn't been President Castle and Agent Beckett, they had been Rick and Kate, and she didn't know what they were, but it was real, tangible. It was simmering below the surface, threatening to boil over and scald them both. Yet, the walls were starting to fall- smiles less hesitant, touches more frequent but no less electric.

Stuffing her gun and badge into her clutch, Kate hurried out of her apartment before she could think better of the dress, giving the skirt one final flip for good measure.

* * *

Her smirk told Castle he was staring as she walked down the hall toward him in that dress flowing to just above her knees and those heels that made her legs look like they were a mile long, but he couldn't help himself, she was...

"Gorgeous." The word was off his lips in a single breath before he could stop it and a blush worked up her neck in response as he cleared his throat.

"I mean, uh," Castle stuttered as he stared at the goddess in green before him. "If Eisenhower were here instead of me, he'd probably be dead right now."

"Eisenhower, really?" Kate responded with a quirked eyebrow once the red burning the line of her neck all the way up to the tips of her ears had faded to a dark pink. "No Clinton jokes?"

Castle sucked in a comical gasp of horror, one hand feathering against his chest. "Clinton jokes? What do you take me for an amateur?"

Beckett giggled in response, causing the blush to darken again at the sound as her lips clamped shut. "Of course not, sir. I could tell from the moment I met you that you were a regular connoisseur of Dad Jokes."

"And don't you forget it."

"Mr. President?"

Both Castle and Beckett turned to look at his assistant who had quietly stepped up behind them, startling them out of their own little world.

"Yes, Becky?" Castle answered with an easy smile as he forced his eyes not to trail back to Kate.

"A Mr. Owen Stevenson is here to escort young Miss Castle to the dance."

"Please call them Owen and Alexis, Becky. All this Mr. and Miss talk is making think my daughter is about to be taken off to be married. Oh God, Beckett, you'll make sure they don't get married, right? Not even close. I don't even want to see them holding hands."

Beckett bit back a laugh at his sudden panic, the mirth still dancing in her eyes. "I can assure you, no one is getting married tonight, not at a grade school winter dance at least."

Castle eyed the boy as he trudged up the hallway, the small plastic container holding a wrist corsage clutched in one sweaty palm, as the other attempted to tame the unruly mop of hair on his head. The kid's eyes grew wide as he approached them and he stuttered out a mumbled greeting.

Beckett leaned over, patting Castle on the chest. It was a move that would be considered completely inappropriate outside of the bubble between professional friends and something more they had formed over the weeks. "I seriously don't think you have anything to worry about."

"Nothing to worry about? Have you see you? I don't blame the kid."

Beckett only rolled her eyes in response to his antics before giving Owen a friendly smile. "Go entertain your daughter's date, I'm going to see what's taking her so long."

"So, Owen," Castle started as he clasped a hand to Owen's shoulder. "How do you feel about women's rights and equality in the work place?"

"Mr. President," Beckett called over her shoulder with a smirk, her hand poised to knock on Alexis' door. "I said entertain not interrogate."

Castle could only grumble good naturedly as he forced his eyes away from her. His hand that gripped the trembling boy's shoulder aching to run down the smooth line of her back instead.

"But seriously, kid," he continued, his voice low enough to be out of Beckett's earshot. "Have you heard of Gitmo?"

* * *

"Alexis?" Beckett called as she knocked on the door. "Owen is here, are you ready?"

Kate startled slightly as the door cracked open only wide enough for one of Alexis' eyes and a strip of her face appearing. "I'm not going."

"What?" Castle interjected, both him and the young man beside him looking befuddled. "Why not, sweetheart. You've been excited about this for weeks?"

Alexis' eyes went wide as she took in the sight of her father and her date, the door slamming shut in all of their faces.

"I said I'm not going!" Came a muffled shout from the other side.

Beckett's brow creased as she and the president exchanged a look- a series of shrugs and gestures adding to the silent conversation. Castle's hand squeezed Owen's shoulder in consolation. "Give us a minute, kiddo."

"Alexis?" He called as he knocked on the door. "I'm coming in."

"No!"

Castle's hand pulled back from the doorknob as if he had been burned, hurt eyes turning to Beckett. "She never doesn't want me around when something's wrong."

Beckett's mind began to race, the girl had been fine earlier that afternoon. Suddenly her eyes grew wide, mouth forming a perfect "o" as the puzzle pieces suddenly fell into place- the scattering of acne across the girl's hairline, how she had meekly told her father she needed a size larger skirt for school, the way her arms were now almost constantly folded across her chest.

"Mr. President," She started gesturing to the closed door. "Can you give us a minute?"

"Beckett? Do you know what's going on?"

"I think so, sir."

"Well, tell me then." His tone was more one of a panicked father than a world leader.

"I will if I'm correct, but I'd like to talk to Alexis first."

Castle puffed out a sigh, his hand coming up to scrape through his thick hair as he took a step back, finally nodding in assent.

Beckett responded only with a small relieved smile as she took a half-step toward the door. "Alexis, it's Kate, can I come in? I think I can help."

"Kay."

Castle's jaw fell open at the quiet agreement that came a few moments later but managed to keep his protests silent as Kate shot him a reassuring look as she slipped through the cracked door.

"Hi," Kate greeted as she entered the room. The girl was perched on the edge of her bed, her hair pulled back and styled so that a river of curls and glitter cascaded around her face and the shoulders of her white terry cloth robe. "You want to tell me what's going on?"

Alexis shot her an embarrassed look, shaking her head quickly.

"You sure?" Beckett coaxed as she perched beside Alexis, a hand coming up to brush an errant curl back into place. "I think I can help."

Alexis let out a sigh before leaning over, cupping her hand around Kate's ear as if to whisper a secret.

"Ah," Kate responded sagely. "I thought so. Me too."

Alexis' eyes grew wide. "You too?"

"Yep, but it's going to be okay, you can still go to the dance if you want to."

Alexis bit her lip before bobbing her head in a small nod. "Oh, but I don't have anything for it."

"It's okay, just give me a minute," Kate responded, dropping an impulsive kiss to the girl's head before pushing herself off of the bed.

"Don't tell my dad!" Alexis called after her panicked, as Kate reached the door.

"I won't."

"Becky," Kate called the young woman over when she popped her head out of the door, waving Castle off as he started toward her. "I need you to go get something for me."

The young woman nodded rapidly as Kate murmured the instructions to her, taking off down the hall as Kate ducked back into the room, closing the door in Castle's face.

"Okay," Beckett started again as she pulled out her clutch, digging under the badge and gun. "Now, I feel like this occasion calls for makeup and later ice cream."

Kate smiled as Alexis' eyes lit up. Her mom had been right, a makeover and ice cream always helped.

* * *

Castle fought the urge to pace the room, to ring his hands, shake his leg, anything to dispel his nervous energy as his daughter and her guard sat curled up post-dance in their dresses on the couch eating their demanded ice cream. Kate said something quietly causing Alexis to giggle and Castle felt his anxiety slowly washing away.

He had stayed quiet, exchanging a curious glance with Owen as Becky scurried off down the hall and he had managed to remain that way when the young assistant returned fifteen minutes later with a discreet plastic bag in her hands. He had oohed and awed, happily snapping picture after picture when Alexis had finally emerged from her room in her Cinderella blue dress, her eyes sparkling merrily as Owen slipped the corsage onto her wrist with fumbling fingers.

He had accepted Beckett's quiet "later" when he had pulled her aside to ask for an explanation, but now it was "later" and he wanted to know what the hell was going on with his baby girl- the child who used to run to him with every scrape and boo boo, the one who came crawling into his bed in the middle of the night after being awoken by a nightmare. He was the dad, the one to whom she came with every woe, at least he used to be.

Castle startled from his reverie as the subject of his thoughts threw her arms around his neck, giving him a tight hug and kiss on the cheek before bouncing off toward her room with a bright "goodnight!". He waved after her before turning his attention back to the other adult in the room.

"Goodnight, Alexis," Beckett murmured with a small wave before turning toward him as well. She took his breath away with just how she sat, one elbow propped on the back of the couch, her fingers threaded through her long, golden-brown hair.

"So..." He began, completely unsure of where to start with the conversation. "Just give it to me straight, is my daughter turning into a werewolf or something?"

Beckett chuckled, her expression softening. "No, not a werewolf, but she is becoming a woman."

His eyes narrowed in confusion, only her pointed look causing the light bulb to flicker on.

"Oh. Oh! But no, that's not possible, she's barely even twelve! I swear just yesterday we were having tea parties and braiding Barbie's hair," he stuttered in shock.

"Well twelve is a completely normal age for girls. She didn't want me to tell you but I figured I should give you a heads up if only so you don't act like this when she comes to tell you herself."

"A heads up. Right," he ran a hand through his hair as his thoughts stumbled through his head, attempting to form a coherent statement. His baby girl... "Do I... Does she, um, need anything?"

"No, not right now. I sent Becky out for supplies earlier," Beckett supplied, a note of sympathy in her voice.

"Supplies. Right. Wow... I, uh, thank you."

"You're welcome," she replied as she stood up, adjusting her dress around her before reaching for her clutch. "Just promise me something. This is going to be hard enough for her, don't make it even more awkward."

"I won't, I promise." He said, still slightly dazed.

"Oh and one more thing, steel yourself."

"Steel myself? For what?"

"Next step: bra shopping."

"Bra... Right. Where would we even go for that?" He rambled, his mouth two steps ahead of his brain. "Meredith asked to take her to Paris for Christmas, finally have that trip they promised... Maybe they can make it a thing..."

Castle glanced up to see Kate shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot.

"Paris?" She questioned.

"Oh, Meredith will have a special detail, you don't have to go. I promise I wouldn't put you in the situation of having to force yourself not to shoot my ex-wife. Trust me, I know that feeling."

The anxiety that had been clenching his chest all evening broke with her smile and he found himself returning it in kind, a sense of calm flooding his veins. "Come to Camp David with me."

Her eyes snapped to his, her smile falling. "What?"

"I'm going to David for Christmas and well, with Alexis gone and my mother touring with her latest show, it's just going to be me. I don't know if you have plans but I could get you on the detail. It would be nice to have someone to spend the holiday with and I like spending time with you, Kate and I don't..."

"Yes."

"Yes?"

"Yes," she replied, her soft smile shining in her eyes. "Goodnight, Mr. President."

"Goodnight..." He replied, still in awe. After another moment he shook himself out of his thoughts and reached out, managing to grab her hand as she moved past his chair toward the door. Their eyes connected as she stuttered on a breath.

"Castle?" She questioned quietly after a moment when he failed to say or do anything beyond stare into the swirling depths of her eyes. "Rick?"

"I just," he started, clearing his throat as he stood, neither of them moving to unclasp their hands, his thumb gliding gently over the soft flesh. "I wanted to say thank you. I honestly don't know what we would do without you and I can't think of anyone I'd trust more with my daughter. So thank you, Kate, for everything."

Kate's breath trembled and her eyes flickered down to his lips before connecting with his once more. Then her hand was slipping away from his and she was gone, out the door, only her final parting word lingering to keep him company through the night.

"Always."

* * *

A/N: As always thank you for all the love and support you have shown for this story. Also, please note this chapter was completely written and posted from my phone so please excuse any errors. Thank you, as always to Kate Christie for the beta and Pom poms &amp; Happy Mother's Day to you and all the other mothers out there.

Until next time. Xx

Twitter: aspen_musing

Tumblr: aspenmusing


	8. Chapter 8

State of the Union

Chapter 8

The fireplace that had been cold and dark upon their arrival at the president's retreat at Camp David was crackling when Kate returned from her initial patrol of the property. The two other agents on the small detail were milling around the kitchen, picking away at the spread the cooks had put out for them. Being a military compound, David was probably one of the most guarded properties in the United States, leaving the Secret Service Agents in mostly an ornamental role while the president was in residence. The house had been decorated prior to their arrival, a cheerful and impeccable Christmas tree stood in the corner of the living room, stockings hung from the mantle, and even a couple of white electronic reindeer twinkled in the yard.

"It's so pretty that it's easy to forget it's essentially a fancy prison."

Castle's voice sounded in her ear causing Kate to jump as she whirled around to face him.

"Hi," he continued with a small smile that flirted the line of mischievous. "Merry Christmas Eve Eve."

Kate attempted to school her laugh, the back of her hand pressed against her mouth. "Merry Christmas Eve Eve, Mr. President."

"Beckett." A gruff voice called from behind her and any other future statements were forgotten as Kate turned, schooling her features.

"Agent Jonas," she replied in greeting at the lead agent as he came to a stop in front of her. She could still feel Castle's presence at her back, hovering just outside her boundary of personal space.

Ethan Jonas crossed his arms over his chest, face blank as he stared through her, a look she had come to expect from the other agents in the recent weeks. At least it was better than the sideways glances and barely shielded whispers. "You're on third shift."

"Yes, sir."

"Mr. President," Jonas directed at Castle before turning on his heels, marching away as silently as he had arrived.

"I was told they hired based on personality," Castle quipped from behind her, causing her lips to quirk up in an involuntary grin.

"Yeah, I remember that from the fine print of the application: comedians need not apply." She replied without turning, surveying the other agents. Rodrigues, the third agent on the holiday detail, eyed her from the far corner of the kitchen, a plate of food already in the large man's beefy hand. He shook his head as he huffed and Kate finally turned on a sigh.

"I can see you're making friends," Castle continued, sympathy mixing with the curiosity in his eyes.

"Yes, well, many of my fellow agents felt I got off easy," Kate replied.

"What do you think?"

Her eyes met his, bodies mirroring each other in posture: feet planted, arms crossed.

"I would have fired me, but as my mother always says, I am my own worst critic."

"I think your mom is a very smart woman. Meredith may be flighty but that doesn't mean she's not cunning. You're not the first person to be tricked by her and I can guarantee you won't be the last. You know, she once got a role in a movie just by walking onto set and acting like she had been there all along."

Kate pressed two fingers to her lips, eyebrows rising in surprise. "Seriously? They believed that?"

"Yep. Security escorted the girl who actually got the role off the set kicking and screaming."

A laugh spilled out of Kate as she shot a look over her shoulder to the other agents, wrapping her other arm around her torso.

"Terrorist cells would be lucky to have such a master manipulator," Castle continued, his twinkling eyes his only give away in his deadpan delivery.

"I can't believe the two of you were married," slipped out and Kate squinted her eyes closed, her nose wrinkling. She really needed to work on her filter around him. "I just mean, the president married to an actress… It's not exactly the typical American tale leading to the White House."

"Yes, well, my mother introduced us, thought I could use a little more fun in my life. The women I was dating were, and I quote, "going to lead me to an early grave due to sheer boredom." Marriage hadn't been on either of our agendas at the time." Castle replied, a hand coming up to run through his hair, causing it stand on end and making him look more like a little boy than the leader of the free world.

"What happened then?" Kate questioned, before giving herself a swift mental kick. Filter.

Castle shot her a soft smile, no regret to be found as he met her eye. "Alexis happened. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to call Finland before dinner."

* * *

Kate bit her cheek as she rounded the corner to the oversized sitting room several hours later. The rest of the house was quiet, dark, the few inhabitants having retired to bed, or returned home for the night. She had exchanged friendly nods and murmured Merry Christmases with the Navy guards posted on the property. Now, it was nearing one in the morning and she was planning to warm up by the fire for a few minutes before beginning her next patrol.

She heard Castle before she turned the corner. A voice in the back of her head that sounded suspiciously like her father telling her to move on, while one that bore a striking resemblance to her mother enticed her to stay.

She had tried to ignore whatever it was between them. She had spent the last couple of weeks trying to move past her persistently growing feelings, but the moment her voice had decided to ignore her common sense and say yes to Christmas, she knew she was on the losing end of the battle.

"Freddy, listen to me, that's not what I was saying… of course, of course. How about we set something up for after the holidays… Great. Yes, of course. I'll have Becky set up the conference. Happy Christmas to you also."

Pressing a hand against the frame of the doorless entry into the den, she watched Castle hang up the phone, his hands scrubbing over the five o'clock shadow peppering his jaw line as he sat alone, staring into the crackling fire. It was a lonely way to spend the holidays no matter how grand the surroundings, and Kate couldn't bring her feet to carry her away.

The room was dim, the only light coming from the fireplace. The soft melody of Sinatra's Christmas carols crooned from the stereo in the corner. Kate smiled as she took in the vinyl album spinning on the refurbished turntable. She would have to ask if that had been a personal touch or if it had already been on the property.

"Didn't your parents ever tell you that Santa wouldn't come unless you went to bed?" The words made him jump in his seat. Twisting around, his face broke into a smile that made her heart leap in her chest when he spotted her.

"Wrong night. Santa isn't due until tomorrow."

"Whoops," she replied with a small shrug as she leaned her shoulder and temple against the wall just inside the doorway, ankles crossed. "I thought you were calling Finland earlier?"

"I did, that was the Chancellor of Germany."

Beckett quirked an eyebrow. "Freddy?"

Castle chuckled as he pushed himself out of his seat, walking slowly over to mirror her position, shoulder and temple resting against the other side of the doorframe. Her heart thumped in her chest, jolts of electricity shooting down her arms, leaving tingling fingertips in their wake. She shouldn't be here doing this. She should keep moving, find another room, another fire to keep herself warm. It was too dangerous to be alone together. Only now her entire body was flushed with heat and she couldn't bring herself to leave, not when it meant they'd both just be alone. "He hates it when I call him that."

"And I'm sure that's exactly why you do it." Beckett threw back, drawing her lip between smiling teeth.

"Oh, he returns the favor."

"Ricky?"

"Among other more colorful nicknames, I'm sure."

A giggle flew out before she could stop it, lips clamping shut to cut it short.

"I…" She started, her fingers coming up to curl a looser lock of hair behind her ear. "You should get to bed, sir. It's late."

"Yeah," Castle sighed, not making a move to leave, his eyes not even leaving hers. "It is."

"I should get back to my patrol," Kate continued, her hand fluttering a motion toward an unseen location down the hall, even as her body remained unmoving against the wall. "After all, there are only a bunch of sailors guarding the property."

"Ouch, Agent, you wound me. I have you know, we are in very safe hands with the Navy at guard." Castle shot back, fingers splayed over his heart as he pushed himself off the wall, taking a step forward.

"Oh, is that right?"

"Mmhmm," Castle hummed in response, his eyes flicking up. Kate followed his lead, shivering on a gulp as her gaze landed on the small bundle of leaves hanging from the top of the doorless frame. "I can't see anyone getting in here uninvited anytime soon."

"I… I should go," Kate stuttered as the record player clicked over, whirring as the needle moved back to the beginning track. She was suddenly acutely aware that the rest of the resort was asleep around them.

"Yeah, you should," Castle replied, even as he took another step forward. "Because I'm about to do something really stupid."

"Yeah," Kate said on a breath. "Me too."

Kate's foot slipped from where it was crossed, her body twisting so her back was against the wall just as Castle's reached out, fingers threading through the same lock of hair she had been playing with just moments before, his gaze holding steady on her lips.

* * *

"Tell me to stop," Castle murmured. He shouldn't be doing this. There were bad decisions that were made in life, and then there was this. This had the potential to be catastrophic. He had known the minute he walked into that interview, the minute he appointed Kate Beckett to guard Alexis. He had known, but he had done it anyway. He had invited this when he had asked her to come with him for the holiday. He knew all of this and still he couldn't bring himself to care because he wanted her more than he had ever wanted anything or anyone, save for his daughter. His first marriage, the presidency, a second term- they all paled in comparison to Kate Beckett.

"Okay. You should stop," Kate whispered back before surging forward, her mouth colliding, soft and warm, with his.

Castle let out a small surprised moan, freezing before his body spurred into motion, threading his fingers through Beckett's hair. He needed to stop. Nothing good could come of this. Just then, a small whimper escaped Kate's throat, the tip of her tongue teasing, seeking entrance, and his body surged into hers. Their mouths clashed against each other in a frantically battle of lips, tongues and teeth as her back slammed into the wall, her hands coming up to frame his face, clutch at his hair, holding him in place.

"Kate," He murmured when the need for air finally got the better of them sometime later, lips swollen, chests heaving, the ringing in his ears drowning out Sinatra's version of White Christmas.

"Mr. President?" She replied in kind, causing Castle to huff out a laugh.

"Don't call me Mr. President, not after doing that."

"What that's not one of your fantasies, _Rick_?"

Castle let out a groan, his forehead falling forward to rest on hers even as she shook with silent laughter. "You're going to be the death of me."

"I'm sure you could think of worse ways to go."

"Oh, many," he replied, tilting his chin to softly capture her lips once again before stepping back.

His hand slipped down from where it had worked it's way up under her white button down, his thumb brushing the underside of her breast through the soft lace of her bra. He wondered idly if she always wore lace under her utilitarian suits. Kate's arm stretched out as he stepped back, her fist not releasing it's hold on the the lapel of his shirt. When his buttons had come undone he didn't know. Probably about the same time her shirt had come untucked.

Kate's hand slid up to his neck, her thumb caressing his jaw as she pushed herself off the wall. She truly was gorgeous, her hair falling in waves around her face from where it had come loose of the bun at the nape of her neck, staring up at him with half-lidded eyes and a Cheshire smile.

Tugging him down, she pulled him in once again for a chaste kiss before pulling back, one bruised lip tucked between her teeth in a move that made him want to sweep her up in his arms and stumble down the hall to his room right then and there.

"What now?"

The quiet question worked its way to his eardrums, through the buzzing hum of his uncomprehending mind. "Hmm?"

"What are we going to do now?" Kate repeated, her thumb rubbing softly over his cheek. "Because I don't know about you but I want to do that again."

Castle could only nod dumbly in reply, before shaking his head to clear his thoughts. Stepping back, he brought his hands up to run over his face as Kate's slipped away, her arm falling to her side.

"We can't do that again, can we?" The question tumbled out of her on a sigh.

"We shouldn't," He replied, eyes flicking up to meet hers. "Not to say that I don't want to because trust me, I do. I like you, Kate. You're strong, you're smart, you have a sharp wit that leaves me reeling, not to mention that you're drop dead gorgeous. I haven't felt this way about anyone in years, but I don't want you to lose your job because of me."

"I don't want that either," she replied, arms wrapping around her middle, hiding her rumpled jacket and half open shirt from view. "And I don't want you to lose yours. You're a good president. You shouldn't do anything to jeopardize that and this, this would be explosive."

"Yeah, in every sense of the word." Castle turned to pace the room, heaving out a sigh as he spotted the sad smile on her face. "You're amazing, you know that?"

"You're not so bad yourself, Castle." Kate replied, her eyes averted as she tucked back in her shirt, and adjusted her holster before lifting her hands to her hair, deftly winding it back into a perfect bun.

He was back across the room in three long strides, tilting her head back to meet her eye before pressing his lips to hers only to tear away, latching onto her jaw, painting a hot trail down her neck, making sure to cover every inch of skin he could find. She stumbled into him when he finally stepped back, his hand cradling her jaw.

"Call you in three years?" He asked, once words would come again and it was her turn to only nod in reply.

"You better," Kate stated, turning her head to place a kiss in his palm. "I should go."

"Right."

"Goodnight, Mr. President."

With that Kate Beckett disappeared down the hall, only the click of her heels echoing back to him. With one final scrub of his hands down his face, President Castle turned to wander to his bedroom. Sleep would be out of the question tonight, because even though he knew he had done the right thing, turning away felt like the biggest mistake of his life.

"Until tomorrow, Agent."

* * *

A/N: So what do you think? Will they be able to stay away from each other for the next 3 years? 3 days? 3 hours...? ;)

Thank you as always for your overwhelming love and support for this story. You are all rockstar readers.

Thank you, as always, to Kate Christie for the ninja superbeta skills.

Twitter: aspen_musing

Tumblr: aspenmusing


	9. Chapter 9

State of the Union

Chapter 9

Beckett steeled herself and walked out of her guest suite. Her hands fidgeted with the silky fabric shifting over her hips as she wandered down the hall. Thanks to her job, skirts were foreign and… unsettling. Yet, she had packed the deep red dress in the hopes of it aiding in a little light flirting, maybe catching the attention of a certain blue eyed president over Christmas dinner, not imagining the possibility of an awkward staring contest after making out with him under the mistletoe the night before.

Her cheeks flushed at the memory, which was why she had avoided him until now. Falling into bed exhausted at seven A.M. after her shift ended, she had tossed and turned until noon. Giving up on sleep at that point, she had shrugged off her exhaustion in favor of running the five mile round trip to town for lunch. Her ritual "Merry Christmas" call to her parents, followed by a shower, had bought her a few minutes more but there was no more avoiding now. The president and Jonas had made it abundantly clear that they were all to be at Christmas dinner promptly at five.

The dining room was empty save for one other body when she entered. Rodrigues' eyes rolled up, giving her a once over. With an audible huff he went back to picking over the platters of appetizers laid out for them. Beckett hadn't once seen the brawny agent when he wasn't eating.

"We all know your boyfriend saved your job," Rodrigues stated in a casual rumble as his fingers closed around a crab puff, depositing it on his overflowing plate before inching his way down the buffet.

Beckett juggled the small plate in her hand, catching it just before it hit the table, her eyes wide in surprise as she stared at the solid brick of a man.

"What are you talking about?" She stuttered, clutching the edge of the plate. "I don't have a boyfriend."

"Please. There's no point in denying it. Everybody knows."

Kate's eyes darted around the space, willing her hands not to shake even as her heart pounded in her chest. No one else had been awake the night before. No one had seen them, had they? There was no way, she and Castle would have heard. Except she hadn't heard anything except the rush of blood in her veins, tingling from her fingers to her toes, and some very specific places in between…

"You may be tight lipped about how you're banging your way up the line, but Sorenson was bragging it up at the bar the other night about how he was tapping you. But hey, that's how you make it in this town, right? Either screw 'em right or screw 'em over. Just try not to screw this up, eh, Beckett? At least the big electric fence will make it harder for you to lose this Castle."

Any reply Kate could have possibly fathomed died on her lips. Will had said what? And the entire squad believed it?

As suddenly as her disbelief came, it gave way to anger. Her knuckles blanched white around her plate. "Will told…"

Her vision was white. Her mind whirred as it devised every possible way to take her anger out on a man easily twice her size: her first thought involved showing him how the heel of a stiletto could get stuck in some very uncomfortable places. But before she could voice her disbelief, her rant was cut off.

"Merry Christmas, Agent Rodrigues!" President Castle announced from behind her as he wandered into the room, his hands clapping merrily with his greeting. "I'm glad to see you enjoying the refreshments. Eat up, I made sure Elsie, the head chef, ordered double just for you."

Beckett took a cleansing breath before slowly turning, forcing her eyes to lift from where they had trained on the simple, white, china dish still clutched in her hands. "Merry Christmas, Mr. President."

"Ah, Agent Beckett," Castle responded, his smile faltering slightly before lifting into an impossibly wider grin. The smile that made his eyes crinkle at the corners as they danced and sparkled with wonder. She had only ever seen that look given to Alexis, and her breath caught in her throat thinking that it could be meant for her. "At the risk of sounding inappropriate and unprofessional, you look beautiful this evening."

"Thank you, sir," she mumbled, forcing her face to play down the matching grin threatening to burst free. The rumor mill would be bad enough with Sorenson; if Rodrigues started blathering about her making googly eyes at the president, she might as well start packing for her new post guarding a bunker on the outskirts of Yuma.

She wasn't supposed to be doing this. He wasn't supposed to be looking at her this way. If he kept looking at her like that, like he wanted to know the exact ways to make her smile after someone pushed the perfect storm of buttons to make her cry, like he wanted to make love to her every night for the rest of their lives and wake up next to her every morning, like he already knew their kids would have her hair and his eyes, she wouldn't survive dinner let alone the next three years.

Three years…

Was it even worth it, waiting three years for something that might be extraordinary? Or was she considering wasting the prime of her life on what could turn out to be a schoolgirl crush? Part of her psyche cringed at the thought that she would even consider it.

"Oh good, Agent Jonas, there you are." Castle continued, forcing Beckett's eyes to snap away from his, but not before she caught that look that told her he knew exactly what she had been thinking. "Elsie promised me that dinner is almost ready. It's just going to be us I'm afraid. I tried to get the rest of the staff to join us, but they declined, content to head home for the evening. I know this probably isn't your first choice of how to spend your holiday but I appreciate you all sacrificing your time with family and loved ones to help keep watch over me."

Rodrigues let out a snort just loud enough for Beckett to hear, his bulging arm colliding with her shoulder as he rounded the buffet to ravage the other side. Her jaw clenched and her stomach gurgled as she continued to glower at the other agent. Their conversation had waylaid her from her original mission: food.

"Dig in, Agent." Castle's voice washed over her like a wave as he walked up behind her. "I made sure Elsie and her staff made some of your favorites."

"Thank you, Mr. President," Kate replied evenly. Lasting the next three hours was going to be a stretch; three years was going to be impossible.

* * *

Castle stared at the twinkling lights on the impeccably decorated Christmas tree. Every ornament was perfectly spaced and aligned. It had must have taken the decorator hours, and ample use of a ruler to make sure it was that exact. His eyes fell to the symmetrical stack of "presents" surrounding the base. They weren't real. They were simply empty boxes wrapped with expert precision to make the scene complete. Not that he had shaken them to check the first chance he got when no one was around.

The tree back at the White House had stacks of gifts underneath it, all different sizes and shapes. Not one of them had crisp lines and invisible tape. They were all wrinkled or lopsided, wrapped by either twelve-year-old hands or his own fumbling fingers. Becky had offered to wrap them or have them gift wrapped in the store, but Castle couldn't bring himself to give up the tradition of staying up all night wrapping his daughter's presents himself.

His hands wrung in his lap, twisting and twirling as his fingers wound around each other. He hadn't expected it to be this hard, spending a holiday away from his little girl. It had been years now with just the two of them against the world. Even before the divorce, Meredith had been flitting in and out, flying from New York to L.A. for auditions, meetings, and shoots. This year they would open presents the day after the holiday, when Alexis was home and Meredith was on a plane bound for California, but for now he was left staring at a bunch of empty shell gifts, save for one.

"It's… nice."

Castle was pulled from his musings by the soft, feminine voice behind him. Half of him wanted to tell her to go away. The other half wanted to wrap her up in his arms and never let go.

"Yeah," he grunted in reply. His eyes never leaving the small rectangular gift nestled amongst the imposters under the tree. "In a sterile sort of way."

"I've always preferred popsicle stick art and eclectic ornaments myself," Beckett stated and Castle had a sudden flash of what their Christmas future would look like— a giddy family surrounded by piles of torn paper snuggled warm under a slightly lopsided tree.

"As I was walking by just now, there was this voice— it sounded a lot like my mom's, actually— that told me to keep walking. It's the same voice that told me not to come here in the first place, and to give up the apartment you found," she continued, the words getting nearer until was seated on the sinfully plush couch next to him.

Castle leaned back against the cushions with a sigh. Finally, looking over, he saw her doing the same, adjusting the throw pillows until she was comfortably sitting with one in her lap.

"Why are you here?"

The question came out harsher than he had intended, and the tension in the air doubled as Kate let out a puff of breath, toying with the sleeve of the black blazer she had changed into for her shift.

"What can I say, I've never been very good at listening to that voice. Also, above all else, we're friends, right? And friends don't let friends sit alone and brood on Christmas Eve."

"They cover that in the academy?"

"Yep, somewhere between driving drunk and hooking up with exes."

The quick, deadpan reply forced a laugh to his lips. Before he could stop it, Castle's hand reached out to grab hers, their fingers twining together. "Thank you, for being here."

She graced him with an easy smile and a quick squeeze of his fingers before removing her hand to reach for her pocket. She had wanted to say something in reply, he could see it in her eyes, the way her lips tensed at the corners, smothering it.

"It's, uh, after midnight," she stuttered after a moment. "Technically Christmas morning, so I just wanted to give this to you, as a friend."

She added the last three words quickly as an after thought, and it made him want to kiss her all that much more.

"I got you something too..." He stated as he knelt down in front of the tree to swipe up the small oblong box. "Well, technically Becky had an aid pick it up and I told her it was for my mother, but I picked it out and wrapped it..."

He trailed off when he turned to find her grinning down at him, her silent laughter hidden behind a fist.

"What?"

"Nothing, and thank you, that's really sweet. You shouldn't have..."

"You're welcome, and you shouldn't have either but I wanted to, so here," Castle replied, settling back into his seat and holding out the gift. His fingers pressed against the paper in a fruitless attempt to mash it into its proper place. "I can run a country but I can't wrap a box."

"No, it's perfect." Kate murmured, as the small packages switched hands and Castle watched, content to wait to open his own so he could see the expression on her face.

"Castle!" She exclaimed in a whisper. "This is gorgeous."

Her eyes were wide, lips parted in disbelief as she held up the white gold rope chain, adorned with a small, single, diamond-encrusted elephant charm.

"I can't..." She started, but Castle cut her off with a shake of his head, relieving her of the chain to wrap it around her wrist, latching the toggle clasp of the Tiffany's bracelet.

"Yes, you can. Just think of it as a promise. Besides, if you don't, then I actually have to give it to my mother and that will start a very expensive precedent that I really don't want to follow."

"Well, we wouldn't want that," Kate responded wryly. She lifted her eyes from her wrist to catch his, a full smile gracing her face as his hands continued to cradle hers, his thumb tracing nonsensical patterns on her skin. With a sharp shake of her head she pulled her hand away to motion at the small box lying in his lap. "Open yours."

Castle bobbed his head in a nod as he looked down to work the small, perfectly triangular flaps of paper free. He glanced up to see Kate worrying her lower lip between her teeth. Popping open the small box, his face broke into a wide grin, a laugh escaping.

"Where did you find these?" He asked as he picked one of the cufflinks out of the box to closer inspect the Jedi insignia etched into sterling silver.

"You can find pretty much anything online. I mean, what else would you get the leader of the free world, and I figured they could add a little fun to your life."

"Figured correctly, you did. These are fantastic. Thank you."

"You're welcome," she said on a laugh.

Castle couldn't help but stare at her, the way her fingers threaded through her hair as she watched him in return, her eyes completely unguarded. She wasn't like that around the other agents or staff, even ones who were considered friends. His fingers caught hers once again as he scooted toward her, only to freeze when her eyes dropped.

"I wanted to tell you before you heard from the rumor mill…" Kate's voice trailed off as she turned her head to look over the back of the couch, out the open door and into the hall.

"What?" Castle prompted, Kate's sudden shift in attitude making his heart sink in his chest.

"Apparently word has gotten around that the only reason I still have a job is that I'm sleeping with Sorenson."

The world ground to a halt, his heart barely beating. "You're…"

"It's not true," Kate interjected quickly, her head shaking in emphasis. "I haven't… I'm not… I just wanted you to know, because you and I are..."

"Okay," he replied slowly. "I think I understand. Is there anything you want me to do? I have a nation's worth of resources at my disposal. I can make it look like an accident."

Kate let out a small laugh. "I'm a big girl, Castle. I can fight my own battles, but thank you."

"I really don't like that guy."

"Yeah, well, neither have I for the past five years, but he is very good at his job."

"So are you."

She gave him a small smile, squeezing his hand one last time before dropping it, rubbing her palms down her thighs. "Speaking of my job, I should get back to work."

Castle nodded, his thumb running over the ridges of his new possession as Kate rounded the couch, her hand gliding over his shoulder, scratching slightly against the nape of his neck. "Goodnight, Agent. Merry Christmas."

"Until tomorrow, Rick."

For the second night in a row, he listened to the click of her heels disappearing down the hall until he was once again alone.

He never wanted to hear that sound again.

* * *

A/N: Just a couple things. First off, I made up the name of the German Chancellor in the last chapter, so for those of you who were trying to match to history, you'll probably be disappointed. Also, I was informed that Marines guard Camp David when the president is in residence even though it is a Navy installation. Whoops. They didn't have that on Wikipedia. ;)

My political knowledge is not the best so please take this story with a grain of salt, but thank you as always for reading and I hope you are still enjoying!

Thank you as always to Kate Christie for taking time out of her hectic schedule to make my words flamingo pretty. You're the best, girl.

Xx

Twitter: aspen_musing

Tumblr: aspenmusing


	10. Chapter 10

State of the Union

Chapter 10

"Mr. President, if we could have a moment of your time."

Castle turned in his chair to see Gina Griffin and Paula Haas, his Press Secretary and Communications Director, respectively, standing just inside the doorway to his office, a slightly perturbed Becky behind them.

"I'm sorry, sir. They just blew past me." His assistant explained and Castle graced her with a small smile.

"It's okay, Becky. I have five minutes."

With a sigh, Castle waved the two women in as Becky closed the door behind them. Watching them with weary eyes, Castle pushed himself out of his chair and rounded the desk to the sitting area in the middle of the room. It had been three days since he had returned from Camp David, and he was already starting to feel the weight of the world settling back on his shoulders. He had been ecstatic to be back home, snuggling with his daughter under tree as she tore into her stack of presents. He had been even happier to see Meredith exit stage right back to California. Unfortunately, that also meant he had barely had more than a passing glimpse of Kate Beckett in days.

"... And the results showed something very interesting."

Castle forced his attention back to the two women in front of him, his hand reaching out for the file Gina was holding out to him. Poll results.

His eyes flitted over the page: lines of statistics followed by various charts and graphs. His free hand came up to rub over sleep-deprived eyes.

"What exactly am I looking at here?"

"Well," Paula started. "It seems that we were a little bit wrong before."

Castle's attention was on her then, one eyebrow quirked in question. "You two? Wrong? Pray tell."

"Well, it seems that with you settling into office and Alexis getting older the American people want you to... date." Paula continued, her blood red lips pursed as she tapped a matching, perfectly manicured nail on the file.

"Date?" Castle exclaimed in reply, quickly clearing his throat to rid his voice of the high-pitched squeak.

His eyes flew back to the pages as he flipped through with a renewed vigor, any trace of exhaustion gone. His head was nodding along with the white noise of their words. It was right there in front of him in black and white, the American people thought he needed a girlfriend. His momentary incensement at the idea that the population thought he couldn't raise a teenaged daughter on his own quickly gave way to excitement. His heart began to pound in his chest at the thought that the next three years could be full of dinners and movies, the feel of Kate's skin under his fingertips, and rings instead of sleepless nights and the fleeting memories of a few magical moments frozen in time under the mistletoe.

"Now, we know that you were planning to take Alexis to the New Year's gala." Gina was saying when he forced his focus back to them.

"Yeah, she has this gorgeous light pink gown that Kate, Agent Beckett, helped her pick out," Castle cut in not missing the exchange of a look between the two women. "What?"

"Well, she can save the dress for another occasion and she and _Agent_ Beckett can watch the ball drop from the East Wing couch. Meet Melanie Carmichael," Gina continued, holding out a photograph and profile. Castle's stomach sank like a boulder into his gut. "She's the daughter of billionaire software mogul Bruce Carmichael. Thirty-nine— poles showed five years to be an appropriate age range with the voters. Never married. Graduated top of her class from Princeton in computer science and engineering. Received her MBA and subsequent PhD from Columbia. She's a high powered exec at daddy's company, teaches at her alma mater in her free time, and still somehow finds time to volunteer with summer programs teaching low income kids the value of computer and leadership skills."

Castle stared at the picture in front of him. She was gorgeous, there was no doubting that: dark brown, almost black hair, hazel eyes and light skin with just a smattering of freckles. "I can't even choose my own date?"

The outburst of laughter took him by surprise, though he should have known better. Gina and Paula were the best he could probably imagine when it came to their jobs, but they were still shrewd, calculating.

"How can I put this delicately," Paula placated through a tight, demeaning smile. "This isn't about you, Mr. President. This is about numbers, and by calculation, you and Ms. Carmichael are the ultimate power couple. Now, if that little illusion of love and romance has been taken care of, onto logistics. She will be here at eight pm on New Year's Eve. You two will go to Alejandro's for dinner and then head to the gala. Kiss her at midnight but keep it chaste, seeing as how this is your first date. Assuming that the press approves, we'll set up another date for a week or two later, maybe even an outing including Alexis."

Castle could only nod dumbly as the two women exited his office, his eyes glued to the eight by ten headshot in his hands.

* * *

Kate glared at Sorenson over the top of her coffee cup as he stood chatting with a couple other agents on the other side of the break room. It was the first time she had seen him face to face since Rodrigues' revelation over the holiday. She had spent the past three days weighing her options. She could go to Agent Kennedy or human resources, but that felt unsettlingly like tattling to the teacher when Bobby Johnson had flipped up her skirt behind the jungle gym in kindergarten. Of course, Kate smirked, when Bobby had later grabbed her breast in middle school she had punched him in the nose. That sounded a little more appealing.

She had reiterated to Castle before returning to D.C. that she wanted to handle this herself, his wary consent leaving her confident that he wouldn't go behind her back or above her head. But now she was here with few appealing options beyond verbal or physical assault.

Although… Kate cocked her head, her eyes scrutinizing her ex boyfriend from head to toe. She and Sorenson were in different divisions, and while he was a senior agent, he was not her supervisor. Therefore, there was nothing in the regulations against them having a personal relationship, rumored or otherwise. And if everyone everyone thought they were dating then… The weight of the Tiffany's bracelet as it rested around her forearm brought a knowing smile to her lips.

"Oh, hey Beckett," One of the agents greeted, chuckling slightly as he glanced between her and Sorenson. "Didn't see you there."

"Cooper," Beckett replied, dipping her head in a nod as she lowered her half empty coffee cup to the sink. "I hope you had a good holiday."

"I did. Spent it with my family in Montana. And you?" Cooper returned, shifting slightly away from Sorenson.

"Oh, you know, just work," Beckett stated, her fingertips running along the counter top as she walked past the pair. "It was nice to get to know some of the other agents. Had some very interesting conversations with Agent Rodrigues. That man is a regular fount of information."

Her eyes flicked from Will's eyes to his lips and back up, his Adam's apple bobbing in a gulp.

"Sorenson." Beckett smirked as she turned to exit into the hall.

Two could play this game.

* * *

"Hi, Agent Beckett."

Kate turned to see Alexis, already clad in boots and winter jacket, practically skipping down the hall toward her.

"Hey, Alexis. Ready to go to Paige's?" Kate smiled back, smoothing a hand over the girl's ponytail.

"Yep. Paige said Andy and Owen are going to be there too." The girl blushed and looked down her shoes even as a smile broke free of her lips.

"Mmhmm. Does your dad know about this?"

"Uh, maybe?"

Kate quirked a single eyebrow.

"We're just hanging out."

"Uh huh. Just remember I'll be watching you every second."

"Oh I know, and so does Owen. He didn't even want to hold my hand at the dance because he was afraid you'd taser him."

"He what?" Kate burst out in a laugh.

"Yep. Apparently dad told him that."

Kate could only shake her head as they walked down the hall toward the waiting town car. "Of course he did."

"So," Alexis continued as the pair got situated in the back of the car, Kate signaling to the driver he was okay to go after doing a preliminary check. "What's the plan for New Years?"

"What are you talking about?" Kate parried, frowning down at her phone as she checked her messages. "You're going to the gala with your dad. I'm planning a quiet night at home with three of my closest friends."

"Oh..." Alexis replied with a frown of her own as she sank back into the plush seat.

Shoving her phone into her jacket pocket, Kate studied the girl as Alexis curled an invisible lock of hair behind her ear in a habit she had inadvertently picked up from Beckett. "What's wrong?"

"Well Gina just told me that I'm not going to the gala anymore. Dad's going with some woman and I was supposed to stay home with you, but if you have plans then... I mean, I'm old enough to stay home alone especially since I'm never _actually _alone, but it _is_ New Years and—"

"Wait," Beckett commanded, holding up a hand to silence Alexis' rambling. "Your dad is going on a date?"

Kate forced her breath to stay even as her head began to swim, anger and resentment burning through her veins.

"I guess," Alexis sighed with a shrug. "He hasn't said anything about it, even though he has seemed happier and a little distracted the last couple days. I just wish he had told me... Maybe I can invite Paige over since you have plans."

Kate forced a smile to her face as she took a deep, cleansing breath and turned to the girl. This wasn't about her and Castle right now, this was about a twelve-year-old who didn't look nearly ready for her father to be dating, let alone for herself be cast aside for one of those dates. "No, it's okay. I'm sure Mr. Hong's take-out, Ben, Jerry and I can relocate our party for a night."

Alexis beamed up at her, and Kate knew she would be ringing in the New Year exactly where she needed to be.

* * *

Beckett breathed a sigh of relief two days later realizing she had arrived at the East Wing after Castle had already left for the evening. She had managed to avoid him completely for the last couple of days, an effective, if immature, way to not deal with the elephant in the room, or around her wrist for that matter.

Even as it had helped her with her avoidance, she had spent a good five minutes glaring at the guard at the door as he riffled through all of the bags she was toting, and was now running late for her admittedly low key New Years blast with Alexis. Granted, after looking back at her teenaged years, she would happily take this opportunity to bond if it meant helping the kid stay out of some trouble in the years to come. Kate couldn't imagine going through that decade of her life under the microscope of smart phones and social media, let alone with the celebrity that came along with having a president for a parent.

"Hey!" Kate greeted as she swung around the corner into the living room to find Alexis already settled on the couch, Ryan Seacrest's New Years broadcast playing on the muted TV. "Happy New Year, Alexis! You ready to ring in 2014?"

"Hi, Agent Beckett." Alexis replied, her fingers fiddling over her phone, a book lying spine up on the arm next to her. "Happy New Year."

Kate paused, bags still looped around her wrists resting on the table as she eyed the girl. "Well that didn't sound very convincing. What's up?"

Alexis sighed and shifted in her seat, barely sparing a glance up at her before dropping her eyes back down. "She's perfect."

Beckett froze, the bags clattering as they fell the rest of the way to the table. Sucking in a breath, she forced her tone to be neutral as she sank down onto the cushion beside the girl. "You met her?"

"No," Alexis continued miserably. "I just saw them down the hall. Melanie Carmichael."

Kate blanched. "As in, daughter of Bruce Carmichael?"

"The one and only. She didn't even look human– how perfectly she stood, how she moved, like every step was choreographed. She didn't even have a hair out of place. Why would he want to date someone like that? Why couldn't he date someone I don't feel awkward around? Someone like… just someone else."

Alexis slumped into her, the girl's temple resting on her shoulder, and Kate sighed, lifting her fingers to run through the long, pumpkin-orange strands of hair. "Oh sweetie, you're not awkward. You're beautiful, and funny, smart, and so well spoken."

"I have gangly arms and my feet are too big for my body."

Kate was too late to bite back the surprised laugh that flew from her lips. "Who told you that?"

"Annabel Summers. She already wears a B cup."

Kate lifted her arm to wrap around Alexis' shoulders, dropping a kiss to the crown of her head as the girl shifted, long thin legs curling on the cushion so she could snuggle into her. "Well Annabel Summers is an idiot who is going to have a lot of back problems when she is older, and _you_ are perfect."

Alexis blew out a huff of disbelief into the shoulder of Kate's soft purple sweater.

"I bet Melanie Carmichael is boring." Kate continued, pausing as Alexis let out a soft giggle. "Yep, not a bit of personality in sight."

Alexis giggled again even as she shook her head into Kate's arm. "No, she's not. I Googled her."

Alexis held up her phone for Kate to see the headshot and short biography proudly displaying Melanie Carmichael, MBA, PhD's accomplishments along with praises from seemingly every magazine and newspaper printed. Kate blew out a low whistle, jealousy tangoing with intimidation deep in her gut.

"See? How am I even supposed to talk to her?" Alexis whined, eyes pleading.

"Alexis, you don't have to do anything you don't want to do."

"Yes, I do. Gina and Paula told me so. They said I have to play nice, especially in front of the cameras." Alexis rolled her eyes in a move that made Beckett oddly proud even as she frowned down at the girl, her mind whirring.

"They said that to you? Does your dad know?"

"No. He wasn't around, and I didn't tell him. Why?"

"No reason," Kate murmured, unwinding her arm from around the girl. She leaned forward to grab the handle of one of the nearest bags, dragging it close enough to reach in and grab the two pints of ice cream and a box of plastic spoons. "Just something I need to talk to your dad about. Now, dig in. If we're going to do a party, we're going to do it right: dessert first."

* * *

Rick Castle was actually having fun. He didn't think it would happen. At first he didn't want it to happen, but Melanie Carmichael was a surprisingly kind and down to earth person. The fact that she was whip-smart with a gentle sense of humor didn't hurt matters either. He still wasn't quite sure where this whole situation would lead, the idea of an arranged relationship irking him to the core, especially when there was someone else he would much rather be kissing at midnight. But Melanie's hand on his bicep as she whispered to him to relax, she was okay with a friendship played up for the cameras as something more, had helped ease his fears.

"_I know how these things work, Mr. President. And there is a reason why I am thirty-nine and still single— I have no want or time for a relationship. As for what we have going on here, it's good for your image, and it's good for mine. If we happen to have a little fun along the way, then that's just icing."_

It was with that mindset that he invited her back to the East Wing for a nightcap, and a chance to hash out details away from prying ears. Of course, the last sight he expected to see when rounding behind Melanie into the living room was the two other women in his life sprawled out asleep on the sofa, one head on each overstuffed arm. Various New Years hats, glasses and noisemakers, along with half melted ice cream and Chinese take out containers were strewn across the coffee table, a syndicated sitcom playing quietly on the over-sized flat screen in the background.

Castle smiled softly as he allowed himself a moment to appreciate the scene in front of him. Reaching out, he grasped imperfectly painted bright purple toes, laughing slightly at the sight of them. Only then did he notice the array of colored polish bottles mixed in with the food on the table.

"Beckett. Beckett." He called softly as he shook her foot. She snuffled slightly, a hand curling up under her chin before settling back into sleep, her face framed in a halo of golden curls. "Beckett. Kate?"

"Don't get up yet, stay in bed," came a murmured reply, causing Castle to chuckle out loud, Melanie's hand pressing over her own mouth, repressing a laugh.

"Beckett. Agent," he added with a little more force, and Beckett's eyes popped open, hands flying to her face. "Good morning, sleepyhead."

"Cassle? Wha time's it?" She slurred, pushing herself up on her elbows, bleary eyes surveying the space.

"Just after one," Castle replied, and Beckett froze when her eyes landed on Melanie standing beside him.

"I should go," She responded, suddenly much more coherent. Pushing herself to her feet, she adjusted her sweater where it had ridden up to expose a thin strip of perfectly toned, pale skin. "Alexis, sweetie. Wake up, you have to go to bed."

Beckett ran a hand along Alexis' thin calf, and the girl roused quickly, half sleepwalking her way to hug Castle before turning back to wrap her arms around Kate's middle.

"Night, dad. Night, Agent Beckett. Love you." She slurred before stumbling her way down the hall to her room, leaving the three adults, two of them slightly stunned by her admission, alone in the room. The laugh track from the television echoed through the space.

Castle turned back from Alexis' closed door to see Beckett shoving take out containers and various trash into a plastic bag, 'Thank You!' printed in bright red letters on the side. Melanie's throat cleared behind him, and Castle's body shook as he snapped back to attention.

"I'm sorry, where are my manners? Melanie Carmichael, this is Special Agent Katherine Beckett, Secret Service. Agent Beckett is the head of Alexis' security detail. Agent Beckett, this is Dr. Melanie Carmichael, my..." His voice trailed off as he realized he didn't know how to finish the statement.

"Your date for the evening," Beckett supplied as she held her hand out to Melanie, a smile plastered on her face. "Dr. Carmichael, it's a pleasure."

Castle's heart pounded in his chest, a cold sweat breaking out along his admittedly perfect hairline. He knew that smile. That was the same smile she used when face to face with Sorenson, Fitzgerald, or any other colleague she could barely tolerate. He had wanted to talk to her, to explain, but the days had whirled by in a frenzy of back-to-back meetings and teleconferences. In any seconds he had to spare to find her, she had been nowhere to be found.

"It's nice to meet you, Agent," Melanie greeted with a genuine smile.

"Kate, please." Beckett returned, and Castle held his breath.

"Kate. In that case, please call me Melanie. Wow, that is a gorgeous bracelet," Melanie continued, pulling Beckett's captive hand closer for further inspection.

Beckett's eyes flicked to meet his before returning to the other woman. "Thank you. It was a Christmas present from a friend."

Melanie let out a low whistle. "Must be some friend."

"Yes, well..."

"So, Agent Beckett," Castle interrupted as Kate finally recovered her hand, opposing fingers closing around the bracelet protectively. "You're off tomorrow, correct? Dr. Carmichael and I were about to have some coffee, would you like to join us?"

"Oh no," Beckett replied on a strained laugh. "It's late, I should get going. Goodnight, Mr. President. It was a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Carmichael. Happy New Year."

"Happy New Year," Castle replied softly as Beckett made quick work of stepping into her heeled boots, zipping them over her jeans before collecting her jacket.

Bags in hand, Beckett gave them a slight wave before wandering off down the hall. Castle's eyes lingered on her, how the confident line of her back was negated by the slight bow of her head. Only when she turned the corner and disappeared out of sight did he let out the sigh that had been held captive in his chest and focus his attention back on the woman still at his side.

"What?" He questioned when he caught a glimpse of the way Melanie was watching him, curiosity painting her face.

Her reply came as a dismissive shake of her head and shrug of her perfectly squared shoulders.

"Nothing."

* * *

A/N: Thank you to all of you- my beautiful, wonderful readers. Your love for this story is seriously heartwarming. And thank you, as always, to Kate Christie for the flamingo edits and for making my words pretty.

Until next time! Xx

Twitter: aspen_musing

Tumblr: aspenmusing


	11. Chapter 11

State of the Union

Chapter 11

Beckett's fist connected with the punching bag with a satisfying thud. Sweat dripped from her hairline, threatening her eyes, but she didn't stop her assault, landing blow after blow to the hard, red, vinyl casing.

The standing punching bag had been an impulse buy, but given the free space in the otherwise empty second bedroom, Kate had no regrets. Her left leg came up in a roundhouse kick and a grunt echoed off the cool, cream walls.

Part of her had wanted to march straight into the Oval Office and give him a piece of her mind, the rest wanted to curl up in the corner and berate herself for her own stupid fairytale ideals. The President of the United States falling in love with a secret service agent? It was something out of a cheesy romantic comedy she would watch with her mother and a bottle of pinot noir.

Another growl erupted from her throat when her cell chirped from the corner, interrupting her continued pummeling of the bag. She had half a mind to ignore it and continue her assault but instead she ripped off her right glove and stalked across the room, not even bothering to look at the number before snapping into the receiver.

"What?"

"Good morning to you too, Katherine."

"Mom," Kate sighed, sagging against the wall, wiping ineffectually at her brow with the back of her still-gloved left hand. All the fight drained from her body.

"I would ask what's wrong but I saw the news this morning."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Kate replied, ripping off her other glove before chucking it and its mate into the plastic bin in the far corner of the room.

"I am perfectly fine. In fact, I'm better than fine," she continued, padding her way into the kitchen to pour a glass of water from the pitcher in the fridge. "2014 is a brand new year. I'm considering a new look, maybe joining a couple dating sites. Hell, I may go crazy and get a cat. I hear the shelter has an adoption fair coming up over the weekend."

"Kate, I know you're upset…"

"I'm not upset. Why would I be upset? Because a man with whom I am _not _in a relationship and who is my boss's boss's boss is dating another woman? I have absolutely no right to be upset over that."

"Katie," her mother chided gently her childhood nickname on the other end of the line and Kate slid down the wall onto the cool kitchen tile, all her bluster and bravado melting away.

"I kissed him, mom. I kissed him and he gave me this gorgeous Christmas present. It was perfect, something out of a dream, and then he lied to me. He lied and I had to find out from Alexis that he's dating someone else. And then, _then, _he had the gall to invite me to have coffee with them. I'm humiliated and pissed off."

There was silence on the other end of the phone and Kate pulled it away from her ear with a frown, checking to make sure the seconds of the call were still ticking by.

"Mom?"

"He kissed you?" The reply came slowly over the phone.

Kate winced as she bit her lip. "Well, technically I kissed him, but… yes?"

"And you, someone who works everyday inside the White House, had no idea he was dating someone else?"

The blush worked its way up Kate's neck, heat radiating from her clavicles to the tips of her ears.

She spoke her next words through a clenched jaw. "What exactly are you insinuating?"

"Nothing, Katie," Johanna continued. "I just think you should talk to him is all."

Kate's head fell back against the wall, bottle of water dangling from her fingertips between propped knees.

Talk. Right.

* * *

It took Kate the weekend, and an onslaught of news articles, tabloid covers, and late night talk show punch lines, to gather the courage and the words to confront Castle. Then, Alexis started back to school on that Monday and Castle was halfway to Germany for a meet and greet with the Chancellor, "Freddy", and the European Union, before the last bell.

By the time Air Force One landed back at Andrews Air Force Base later that week, Kate had lost her courage again. It wasn't until the next Monday, when Kate watched from the couch in her apartment, assured that Alexis would be in the capable hands of the president's "elite team of agents", as Castle wrapped an arm around his daughter's shoulders and escorted her along for a "family" dinner and movie night with Melanie Carmichael that she decided enough was enough.

Kate took a swig of her beer, jammed a finger into the mute button and forced her eyes off the picture of a silent, smiling president, girlfriend and sullen pre-teen. Anger gnawed at her gut as she read the crawl line talking about polling numbers and debates on family values. She could still feel Alexis staring miserably at her from the screen. With a second swig of beer, she turned the TV off all together.

* * *

"I need to talk to you."

Castle glanced up to see an irate Kate Beckett standing in the doorway to his office, Becky fuming quietly behind her.

"This isn't a good time, Beckett," Castle responded with a sigh. He was due to give the State of the Union Address in less than an hour and his staff was still squabbling about wording and scrambling with rewrites. The last thing he needed was his suddenly complicated personal life adding to the mix.

"Well make it a good time."

Castle froze, eyes rising from the piles of papers on his desk. "Becky, could you give us a moment please?"

They both stood silent, Beckett's head cocked slightly to watch over her shoulder as Becky turned to exit with a set jaw. He had been getting that look a lot from his assistant lately. Even from someone so small it sent a shiver down his spine.

"She really doesn't like it when people brush by her." Castle started, the feeble attempt at a joke falling flat as Beckett continued to stare him down. "Look Beckett, this isn't the time or the place for this. I know what this is about and we _do_ need to talk but right now I really need to -"

"Have you talked to your daughter lately?"

"Wha- what?" Castle stuttered.

"Have you talked to Alexis about Melanie Carmichael?" Beckett elaborated, her words falling slowly from her lips.

"Yeah." Castle shrugged, completely thrown. "She said she's fine with it."

"Right. Because she's actually fine with it, or because she has to be fine with it?"

"What are you insinuating, Agent?"

Castle could feel his frustration swirling up from his gut, curling in tendrils around his lungs, tickling at his throat. This maddening woman. She had all but ignored him for the past two and a half weeks since Christmas, and now instead of talking about what they should be talking about, she was storming into his office, acting like she knew his daughter better than he did?

"I'm not _insinuating_ anything. I am _saying_ that Alexis is miserable about this whole situation, but you would know that if you had actually spent any time with her in the past month."

"How dare you…" Castle fumed, stalking around his desk to the middle of the room. "You have no right to tell me how to raise my kid. She knows I'm always here for her. She would tell me if something were wrong."

"Really? Well then I guess you know that Gina Griffin went to your kid behind your back and told her that she had to like Melanie and play nice for the cameras or else."

Castle's next words halted on his lips. "She what?"

Beckett's lips tilted up in a sad smile. Her voice was softer when she spoke again. "She's upset, she's hurt and she feels intimidated. You need to talk to her. Really talk to her."

Castle sank down onto the edge of his desk. His hand ran through his hair, the anger seeping from him. "I know I haven't been around as much as I should have been this month, but I figured Alexis was okay. We talked about it before I decided to run. We talked about how much I might be gone, about how busy I would be and she seemed to understand, to be okay with it."

"She's a kid, Castle," Beckett responded, her voice low now, sympathetic. "She probably didn't completely understand."

"I know. I know, but she's been fine so far, and now that she has you, I…"

"What?"

"You heard her the other day. She loves you. She looks up to you. Hell, you've been here for more in the last six months than her mother has in the last six years."

"Castle, it's my job to look out for her."

"Right, so that's why you spent New Years here with her? That's why you were hanging around every night this past week while I was in Europe - don't think I didn't hear - because it's your job?"

Kate turned her back to him on a sigh, pacing the few steps to the door, one hand running through her hair. "Just talk to her, okay? She doesn't need a friend right now, she doesn't need the president, she needs her dad."

"I'll talk to her."

"Good. I, uh, I should go."

"Kate." Castle was across the room in four long strides, his fingers catching the meat of her palm in a loose hold. "I need to talk to you too."

She turned back to him with a sad smile. "I don't think there's much to talk about."

"Please just let me explain."

"There's nothing to explain, Mr. President. I understand. Now if you'll excuse me."

Her hand slipped from his hold and Castle swallowed hard. He knew that tone. She was shutting down, and if he let her go now…

"We're not dating."

His words stopped her in her tracks, her fingers gripping the doorknob.

"Melanie and I..." He started again, sending silent prayers heavenward that she would actually stay to hear him out. "Gina and Paula came to me a couple days after Christmas, said polling numbers showed that the public wanted me to date. At first I thought this was great, that I could actually... But then the next thing I know I'm ditching my daughter and you to smile for the cameras with a woman I barely even know hanging on my arm and I - I am so sorry I didn't tell you before now. I know you're hurt and angry and I've messed up with both you and Alexis but I just wanted to explain and..."

She was facing him now, wary eyes softer.

"I wasn't lying - what I told you at Camp David. I just don't know how to do this," he finished with shoulders slumped. For the first time since he had walked in on Meredith in their bed with another man, he felt completely defeated.

"I-," she started, only for the door to burst open behind her, members of his staff not giving the agent a second glance as they flooded the room around them.

"Mr. President, we have to go."

"Right," Castle replied glancing at the clock. 8:55. Davis Monroe shoved a stack of pages in his hands rattling off key points that had been edited in the speech. He spotted Beckett against the far wall as he was being ushered out the door. "Wait for me."

* * *

"...This is why I am proud to call myself the President of these United States. Thank you and God Bless the United States of America."

Castle smiled as he exited through the sea of flashing lights, the room around him a deafening cacophony of applause and shouted questions. If someone asked him right now what he had just said over the course of the past hour, he would have been at a loss. All he could think about was Kate, getting back to her, explaining and making everything right again.

"Great job, Mr. President." Becky beamed at him as he turned the corner back toward his office.

"Thanks, Becky," He replied automatically.

"Mr. President, I need to talk to you about..."

Castle stopped to turn to look at the man pacing him. "Davis, it's after ten PM, I'm sure whatever it is can wait until tomorrow morning."

"Yes, sir."

Castle nodded his head as everyone else hung back, not daring to follow him into his office. When he was satisfied they had all received the message, he flung the door open, hurrying inside.

"I'm sorry that took so long," he started, only to find himself talking to an empty room.

Kate Beckett was gone.

* * *

"Hey," Castle greeted with a tired smile as he knocked on the cracked door of his daughter's bedroom. He may have irreparably ruined one relationship tonight, but this one he could definitely save. "What are you still doing awake?"

"I wanted to see your speech," Alexis replied, carefully putting a marker in her novel before closing it on her lap.

"So, how did I do?"

"Very presidential, but one or two jokes wouldn't have hurt," Alexis informed him seriously, and Castle couldn't help but chuckle.

"I'll let Carmen know for next time."

Alexis gave a satisfied nod and Castle sank down onto the edge of her bed.

"I want to talk to you."

"About what?" Alexis turned to slip her book onto the corner of her white nightstand in a show of giving him her full attention.

"It's about Melanie."

"Oh."

Castle's heart sank in his chest at Alexis' downtrodden look. He wanted to kick himself. Kate had been right. He hadn't been paying attention.

"I know this is new for you and a little weird, my dating. I just wanted to make sure you're okay with it. I don't care what anyone else tells you, I'm your dad and you and I get the last say. If you don't like Melanie, I want you to tell me. If anyone tells you to do something you are uncomfortable with, come tell me. You don't have to do anything you don't want to do. I know I haven't been around a lot lately, but I'm always here for you, no matter what. You come first, Alexis."

"Okay," the girl responded with a small nod, scooching forward in the bed to sit nestled into his side. "I'm okay with you dating, Dad and Melanie is nice, I just..."

"You just what?" Castle prompted, wrapping his arm around her to squeeze her into his side.

"I don't know..." She responded, her teeth worrying her lip in a move that made him smile. She had been picking up Beckett's habits. "Why her?"

"That's complicated," Castle started.

"Are you going to marry her?"

"I. No. I don't think so," He stumbled in response. Castle ran his free hand down his face. "Look, Alexis. Melanie is a nice person, and I am just enjoying spending time with another adult where I don't have to be the President."

"But you hang out with other adults too. You talk to Agent Beckett all the time."

Castle's heart clenched again at the mention of Kate's name. "Yeah, I do."

"So why do you have to date Melanie, why can't you just... hang out with Agent Beckett?"

"It's-"

"Complicated?"

Castle huffed out a laugh. "Yeah, pumpkin, it's complicated."

Alexis' body sagged harder against him. "Okay. If she makes you happy you have my blessing."

"Okay, but still, you come to me if something is wrong."

"I will, Dad. I promise."

"That's my girl. Now time for bed, I don't want to hear that you were falling asleep in first period algebra again."

"I've never fall asleep in algebra," Alexis parried back as she slipped under the covers. "That was you."

"Oh, right. My mistake."

"Goodnight, Father." Alexis stated, her face half buried in her pillow, voice already heavy with sleep.

Castle clicked the light off and took a moment to watch his daughter from the doorway, the room cast in shadows, the only light filtering in from the hall. "Goodnight, Daughter. I love you."

Castle trudged down the hall, his fingers tugging at the knot of his tie. His body ached with exhaustion. He wasn't naive. He had known going in that being president would be hard. He had known that it would mean making sacrifices and hard decisions, but he hadn't expected to come up against problems like this. It was like a slow motion train wreck that kept playing in his mind from the moment Kate Beckett walked into his life up to her look of utter devastation as he walked out the door of the Oval Office.

If they had met a year earlier, when he was just a presidential hopeful, if she had gone into law instead of the secret service. If he hadn't of hired her and asked her out instead. If he had just stood up to Gina and Paula and put his foot down, polling numbers be damned.

Castle sighed, maybe there was still hope. Maybe he could make this right. He could show up at her door, bring her flowers. He would grovel and pester her into forgiving him. They'd figure out her career, she wouldn't be able to guard Alexis anymore but she could be put on another detail. She could go back to the FBI if she wanted. Of course if she became First Lady even that would be off the table.

He paused outside his room and slumped against the wall. Was it normal to consider giving up the presidency for a girl? Unfortunately, that wasn't even a question that could be answered at the former president poker game. Castle's hand scratched through his hair and down to rub against the shadow of stubble beginning to pepper his jaw. He needed to sleep, or at least to try. Morning would come too soon, bringing with it its own problems.

With one last tug on his tie, he turned the knob to his room only to freeze with his fingers paused over the already activated light switch. There, on his bed, propped against the headboard with a book open on her lap sat Kate Beckett.

* * *

A/N: Thank you, as always, for the love and support for this story. Your words and flails never fail to bring a smile to my face. And, as always, thank you to Kate Christie for being an unfailing source of support and flamingo edits.

Until next chapter. :)

Twitter: aspen_musing

Tumblr: aspenmusing


	12. Chapter 12

State of the Union

Chapter 12

"I was going to get you flowers."

The words tumbled unfiltered from his mouth and Kate flipped her book shut, swinging her legs off the side of the bed. Her feet were bare, signature stilettos in a pile by the nightstand, her jacket slung over the footboard. He noted rather inanely that her standard white button up was untucked, and the top three buttons were undone as she moved to stand in front of him.

"Flowers, huh? And how exactly were you going to finagle that?" She murmured in response, a small smile playing at her lips as she stared up at him, her body close enough to him for her crossed arms to brush against his chest.

"I, apparently, have a rose garden," he managed to respond before stammering on, as his hands came up automatically to rest on the dip of her waist. "Finagle, that's a good word. Not sure how much it would get you at Scrabble though."

"Castle?"

"Yeah."

"I don't want to talk about Scrabble."

"Yeah, probably not the time."

"No, definitely not the time."

"Right. What are you doing here? I thought you were waiting in the office?"

Kate's arms uncurled themselves as he talked, fingers playing with the askew knot of his tie. She was silent for a long moment, her voice a low hum when she finally spoke, her fingers slowly inching the fabric free until the tie hung loose looped around his neck. "Becky kept glaring at me. Besides, I didn't want to be interrupted again."

"Interrupted. Right." He swallowed hard as her hands came back up, fiddling with the button at the collar of his shirt. "What were we talking about again?"

Her head cocked to the side, lower lip drawn between her teeth as her eyes rose to meet his. He wasn't used to seeing her without those insanely high heels and the perfect height difference had his hands squeezing her closer to him of their own accord. If he died right then, he would leave the mortal coil a happy man.

"You were saying," she began again, her voice low and way too steady for their current proximity. "That dating Melanie was all a ruse for the cameras."

"Right. Yes. It is."

Castle let out a whoosh of breath as the button popped open, Kate's hands moving to the next one. He really needed to start thinking in sentences longer than two words again.

Kate hummed in response. "So, does Melanie know this?"

"Yes."

"Does Alexis?"

"No. But I did talk to her."

Six words. Better.

"Good."

"She- she, ah, wants me to be dating you, you know. Alexis does. She likes you."

"I like her too. She's a good kid."

"Yeah, yeah she is."

Another button popped open and his hands jerked her forward, effectively trapping her arms between them. Her fingers burned into the bare skin of his chest and he knew she must be able to feel the pounding of his heartbeat reverberating through him.

"Kate, what are we doing?"

She sighed then, gaze falling to a place past his shoulder, and he felt her try to pull away. His grip held strong, unwilling to let her retreat, until she finally looked back up to him with pleading eyes.

"I don't know. But I do know that I could barely hold out for three weeks; there's no way I can wait three years, especially if I have to watch you date another woman that whole time."

His mouth stretched into a smile, and his head tipped down, brushing a soft kiss to her lips. "I never took you for the jealous type."

"I never have been before."

"You know, if I weren't the president, I would have asked you out the first moment I saw you."

"If you weren't president, I would have said yes."

"And since I am president?" The fear crept up from his gut forcing his heart rate to speed into double time.

He took a half step back, allowing him to see her face and for his hands to creep up her sides, thumbs brushing against her bare skin.

"I don't care. This is stupid and reckless and I just can't bring myself to care, because I know, in the slim chance that it doesn't blow up in our faces, that we could be great together."

"Not great," he replied with a small shake of his head. "Extraordinary."

His lips swallowed Kate's whisper of an agreement, and he found himself moaning in protest when she pulled away from him.

"I, um, I haven't done this in a very long time," he stuttered suddenly. "A-and any expectations you might have given that I am the president..."

"Rick," she silenced him with the single soft syllable of his name.

His hands fell empty to his sides as she stepped back. But all further doubts died on his lips as her fingers began working slowly on the buttons of her shirt before shrugging it off of her shoulders and into a pile at her feet, her pants soon to follow. Castle could only stare at her, eyes wide as she stepped toward him once again. A hand wrapped around his tie, tugging him into her for a molten kiss before slipping the thin loop of fabric up over his head and back down to lay around her own neck.

His mouth was dry. He had never seen anything as gorgeous as Kate Beckett scooting backward across his bed clad only in navy lace underwear and his bright red tie.

"God bless America," he murmured in awe, earning a giggle before getting to work stripping out of his own clothes and joining her.

* * *

The first thing Kate smelled when her eyes fluttered open was him. The heady smell of his skin and sweat mixed with lingering whiffs of aftershave and them. Stretching languidly, she relished the pleasant aches of her body before she pressed off of him with a kiss to his sternum. Sitting up in the bed, she took a moment to let her eye roam over his naked chest to where the blankets bunched over his hips. He truly was a beautiful man, inside and out.

Part of her was disappointed that his breath stayed even, punctuated only by small adorable snores as she inched out of the bed, the rest was proud of how she had managed to wear him out so completely. Not that she wasn't equally as exhausted, but it was already after midnight. She should have been gone long ago, but dozing snuggled in the sea of blankets had seemed like a much more appealing option.

She dressed quietly, using only the light from her phone as she wandered around the room searching for random articles of clothing. She made sure to dip into the bathroom to style her sex-mussed hair back into a professional bun before heading back to the bed for her shoes. It was only when she brushed one final kiss to his temple that Castle finally stirred, staring up at her with bleary eyes as his fingers caught hers.

"Where?"

"I gotta get home, it's late," she murmured back.

"Mmm," he moaned still half asleep. "Stay?"

She choked on her response, her heart sinking like a weight in her chest. "I can't."

The regret in her voice must have filtered through his sleep haze because his eyes popped open, his fingers tightening around hers. "No regrets?"

"No regrets," she assured with a small smile.

"Dinner, tonight. You, me, Alexis."

"Okay. Goodnight, Mr. President."

"Ugh," he groaned, glaring up at her. "Don't call me Mr. President when I'm naked in bed."

"Really? I thought you'd like that," she teased, leaning in to steal one more kiss.

"Evil woman, get out of here before I pull you back here for round two."

She smiled at the dopey grin plastered on his face. "Rain check?"

"Definitely. Goodnight, Kate."

"Goodnight."

"Don't let the bedbugs bite."

She was smiling when the door clicked shut behind her.

* * *

"Agent Beckett, hi!"

Kate grinned as Alexis waved wildly at her from over the top of the sofa.

"Hi, Alexis. Whatcha doin'?" Beckett replied, shrugging off her jacket and plopping her bag down on a vacant chair.

It had been nearly two weeks since she and Castle had consummated their relationship and she had spent nearly every evening since at the White House. Some nights she just stayed for dinner or to help Alexis with her homework; on others she would hang around after the girl had gone to bed. Once she had even snuck back in to wait for Castle who had been on a call with Japan. He had found her in his bed wearing nothing but one of his well-worn Navy t-shirts. She had barely been able to bring herself to leave that night. But still every morning she awoke in her own bed, exhausted but happy.

It had been easy, almost _too _easy so far, falling into this strange rhythm of normalcy. Not that either one of them was complaining. Any worries that Kate had had about whatever it was between them diminishing over time had quickly been proven unfounded. It was more than just a passing infatuation - it was electric, intoxicating, and it just left her wanting more. In fact, the want that shown in Castle's eyes when he looked at her had only grown in the past weeks.

"Playing Mario Kart. I'm kicking dad's butt. You want to play too?"

"Sure." Kate plopped down on left side of the couch, reaching for a free controller while the girl reset the game, adding a new player. "Where is your dad?"

"On the phone. He'll be back in a minute."

"Okay," Kate replied and settled in for her first round of the video game.

Half an hour later when Castle still hadn't reappeared Kate placed her controller down on the table and pushed herself off of the couch.

"I'll be right back, I'm just going to check on your dad," she told Alexis, as she rounded the couch, running her hand over the girl's head.

"Okay, I'll make us some ice cream."

"You had ice cream last night and we haven't even had dinner yet!" Kate called over her shoulder.

"It's Saturday!" Alexis argued back disappearing into the kitchen.

Kate was still shaking her head as she knocked gently on the cracked door of Rick's "home" office. As she had begun to realize, the Castle clan had a myriad of excuses to eat ice cream, each one slightly more ridiculous than the last.

"Hey," she greeted, pushing the door open following his call to come in. "Was wondering where you disappeared to."

"Hey," he replied with a tired smile. "Sorry I got caught up, lost track of time. Japan again, and then a couple more phone calls and emails. Then there was a memo."

Kate smiled, sauntering into the room. "It's okay, comes with the territory. You almost done?"

"Almost. Someone should have warned me that this wasn't a nine to five position."

"Oh, it wasn't in the job listing?"

"No. Monster must have left that part out."

Kate breathed out a laugh, wedging herself between his knees.

"You have time for a small break?"

"Just give me a couple more minutes and then everything else should be able to wait until morning," Castle replied, his hands coming up to rest easily on her hips, guiding her back to sit on the desk in front of him. "You have a good day?"

"Yeah, quiet. Did some laundry, worked out, talked to my parents. You know, normal stuff."

"Sounds nice."

Kate hummed in agreement, her fingers brushing an errant lock of hair off his forehead. "It was. You?"

"Blew an impending meteor out of the sky and stopped world war three."

"So the usual then?"

"Yep. Pretty much."

Kate laughed again, her fingers painting the lines of his face, thumb attempting to blend away the darkened circles under his eyes. He worked too hard, not that he really had a choice, but he still managed to have at least a twinkle of that little boy charm for Alexis and for her.

"I should get back to Mario Kart, Alexis is making sundaes. They're probably ready."

"She kicking your butt?"

"She's surprisingly good for someone who can't even drive yet."

Castle laughed, his hands squeezing her thighs as he pushed himself out of his chair, coming to stand in the vee of her legs. His lips brushing hers as he spoke. "We'll double team her once I'm finished here. I'll distract her from the track while you and Yoshi lap her for the win. Little devil won't stand a chance."

"Whatever happened to letting the kids win?"

"Participation trophies don't build character. Our kids will grow up knowing the pain of honorable mention."

"Our kids, huh?"

"Caught that? You didn't think I was just in this for the sex did you, not that that isn't great on its own but-"

His words were cut off as she surged up into him, lips and teeth clashing as tongues dueled.

"What are you doing?"

Castle sprung back, and Kate whirled around, tripping over her own feet as she slipped from the desk.

"Alexis!" Castle squeaked. "Wha- what are you doing here?"

The young redhead crossed her arms over her chest as she continued to stare at them with pursed lips. "You guys were taking a while and the ice cream was melting."

"Plus," Alexis continued, as Kate tucked a lock of hair behind her ear with shaking fingers, not even risking a glance at the man behind her while under the scrutiny of the admittedly scary preadolescent. "Gram's here."

* * *

A/N: I know I say it every chapter, but you all are the best. I am still blown away by your overwhelming response to this story. Thank you for all the flails, love and support. PS- That Navy t-shirt shout out was for you all who responded on Tumblr. ;)

Thank you, as always, to Kate Christie for the unfailing support and for being the best beta a girl could ask for.

Until next chapter! Xx

Twitter: aspen_musing

Tumblr: aspenmusing


	13. Chapter 13

State of the Union

Chapter 13

"Richard, darling!"

Castle stared at the red headed woman waving at him from behind his daughter, who was still standing like a statue in the doorway to his office.

"Mother! Hi. What are you doing here?"

"Alexis, dear, move out of the way so I can give your father a hug."

Martha guided Alexis to the side with hands on her shoulders. Neither the girl's expression nor the cross of her arms over her chest softened when she shifted, not that her grandmother took any notice. Martha Rogers may have had a flair for the dramatic, but she was never one to let the drama get the better of her.

"And you must be Katherine. I have heard so much about you from Alexis and from my son. You really are a gorgeous creature. No wonder Richard is so taken with you."

Kate's fingers came up in a jerky wave, her head swiveling around to stare at him with wide eyes. The question was silent but clear. _You told your mother about me?_

He gave a helpless shrug. Of course he had. It was his mother and she was _Kate. _

"Oh, darling, it is so good to see you," his mother continued when she enveloped him in a tight hug, only pulling back to cup a hand to his cheek. "Have you been getting enough sleep? You should be careful; you're going to start to get wrinkles. Unless, of course, you've been staying up for good reasons."

Martha threw a wink over her shoulder to Kate, and the younger flushed crimson from head to toe.

"Oh, I am just kidding. Come on now, dear," Martha continued, crossing the short space across the room to wrap her arm around Kate's shoulder, leading her out to the living room. "I don't have much time in town, but I want to know all about you."

Kate shot a pleading look back to him and he could only respond with a thumbs up. A second later he was scooting behind them in response to her less than thrilled glare at his gesture, only to be stopped by the other redhead in the room.

"Father. We need to talk."

* * *

"So, Mrs. Rodgers, how long are you in town for?"

Kate leaned back against the side of an overstuffed armchair observing Martha flit around the den, gathering the ingredients for what looked to be a dirty martini.

"Please, dear, it's Martha. Mrs. Rogers was my mother, "Martha responded with a flutter of her hand and Kate watched vodka glugged into the shaker with wide eyes. "I'm only here for a couple of days. I am meeting a potential client for my production company. Some political satire one-man show, like there aren't enough of them already, but he _is_ the son of a friend. Plus, it gave me the perfect excuse to drop in and surprise my little family here. But enough about me, I want to hear all about _you." _

Martha plunked a skewer of three olives into a glass before pressing it into Kate's hand.

"Now don't be shy, dear," she continued, pouring two more cocktails. "Drink up."

Kate took a chug of the drink, face twisting into a grimace at the burn of what had appeared to be top shelf vodka before sinking her teeth into an olive, thankful for the momentary reprieve from the alcohol. She hadn't even touched the stuff since her birthday night drinking binge a few months prior.

"There's not much to tell, I'm Alexis's bodyguard for lack of a better term."

"Of course you are, dear," the older woman placated with a wink before taking a sip of her own drink and adding another splash of vermouth.

Kate took another swig, forcing herself not to wince this time when it hit the back of her throat. Martha was assessing her thoughtfully and Kate tried not to squirm under the scrutiny, smiling even when she shot a silent plea to the empty doorway over her shoulder. _Anytime now, Castle. _

* * *

"So."

"So?" Castle sank back in his desk chair, fingers steepled under his chin, eyes trailing after his daughter who was pacing the room before him. Her purple glittered finger nails glinting in the light when they tapped on her bicep. Alexis had always been precocious, but he was finally starting to see the beginnings of an intimidating woman who could blaze her own way in the battlefield of politics.

"Is there something you would like to tell me, Father?"

He could lie. He could say Kate was helping him get something out of his eye, or that he had been checking to see if her tonsils were inflamed… with his tongue.

"Agent Beckett and I have been seeing each other," he stated after a moment, choosing his words very carefully. Was dating an appropriate term if they had never been out on an actual date?

Alexis regarded him with pursed lips. "But you're already dating Dr. Carmichael."

Castle sighed and ran a hand through his hair. At this rate he would be bald by the end of his term. "Melanie and I are just friends. The media has been assuming that we're dating and we've let them. I am sorry I lied to you about that."

"Why would you let the media assume things that aren't true?"

"Well, it's complicated…" Castle hedged, hoping the phrase would prompt his daughter to drop the topic.

"Try me."

He had hoped wrong.

Castle motioned for Alexis to come closer, wishing she were still small enough to climb into his lap for story time. She wandered over, resting against the desk in a fashion eerily similar to Kate. "You know how they do polls, asking the population how they feel about me and my term?"

Alexis nodded.

"Well one of the latest ones showed that people wanted me to date."

"Then why couldn't you just date Agent Beckett? Why would you "fake date" this other woman? Isn't that just lying to everyone? Does Dr. Carmichael know about all of this?"

"Yes, Melanie knows that she and I are just friends, but no, she doesn't know I'm also dating Kate and she can't. No one can."

"Because she guards me?"

"Exactly. If anyone finds out we could both be in a lot of trouble."

"Then why date her?"

"Because," Castle breathed the word out on a labored sigh. He had asked himself that same question too many times to count. "Because I like her. A lot."

Alexis nodded, seeming to accept his less than sound reasoning. "I like her too."

And with that she turned and walked out of the room, leaving him sitting, flustered in her wake.

* * *

Kate's eyes cut to him, panicked, the minute he emerged from the office. His mother was chattering on and in grand Martha fashion, the martini glass in her hand was mostly empty while the one in Kate's looked untouched. His mother passed a third drink to him and he only sniffed at it before holding it away from his face with a grimace. Kate bit her lip to suppress a laugh and the tightness in his chest eased. Whatever his mother had been saying wasn't scaring her off, at least not yet.

"So, mother, this is a surprise."

"What? A mother can't just drop in to see her son anymore?"

"Not when he's president she can't. How did you get in here without me knowing, anyway?"

"Oh pish," Martha dismissed with a wave of her hand. "Those gentlemen at the front gate were more than happy to keep this my little secret, especially for an autograph and what do they call it… a selfie?"

Castle suppressed the urge to slap his palm against his forehead and Kate hid a snicker behind the ridge of her glass, only to cough when she made the mistake of taking another small sip.

"I should really be going," Kate stated after a moment, placing her glass down on the bar.

"But we haven't had dinner yet!" Alexis' voice piped up, her grandmother handing her what Castle could only hope was a Shirley Temple complete with a maraschino cherry on top.

"I know, but your grandmother is here and I don't want to intrude on your family time. I'll see you first thing in the morning. Remember to go over those notes on the Civil War again for your history test."

Alexis raced across the space, flinging her arms around Kate and Kate looked at him in bewilderment at the sudden display of affection. He nodded at her in response. The three of them, they would be okay.

Alexis murmured something that Castle couldn't decipher and Kate's expression turned soft before she whispered back. Once Alexis released her, Kate waved her fingertips at Martha, stating what a pleasure it was to meet her, before running them across his shoulder, leaving his skin tingling in their wake.

"Walk you out?" He asked only to have her shake her head in reply.

"Call me later."

"'Kay."

And then he was alone with two fiery redheads and a bottle of vodka.

* * *

"Richard, what are you doing?"

"What do you mean?" Castle questioned, feigning innocence. Alexis had gone to her room a few minutes before, stating she had to finish studying before bed, leaving Rick and his mother alone with their drinks.

"Don't play that game with me. I've read the articles, seen the stories. According to every possible outside source you are in a relationship with Melanie Carmichael, but it seems to me that you have been canoodling with the help."

'Mother!" Castle spluttered into his glass. "I am not 'canoodling' with anyone."

"Mmhmm, then what do you call what was happening in your office earlier?"

"Nothing… it was nothing. Agent Beckett had something stuck in her eye. I was helping her get it out…"

"With your tongue in her mouth, of course. Why would anyone think otherwise?"

"Mother!" Castle protested with wide eyes before deflating back into the cushion. "You saw that?"

"I did, and so did your daughter."

"Oh, Alexis is fine," Castle said, dismissing his mother's unspoken concern. "She loves Kate."

"And you?"

"I…"

"Richard," Martha interjected at his hesitation. "Do everyone a favor and figure it out. Dating two women at once while in the spotlight? You should know better than that."

"Technically I'm only dating one," Castle protested in response. "Melanie is just a friend."

"Richard, darling, I love you, and you know I only want what's best for you, so take my advice. Either figure out an amicable way to "break up" with Melanie in the media, and come clean about your relationship with Katherine, or break it off with Katherine and start actually dating Melanie. Because from where I sit, your Agent Beckett is on the verge of falling in love with you, and if you continue on like this it can only blow up in both of your faces."

Castle shook his head in protest. "Mother, it's only been a couple of months, we are no where near that yet."

Martha lowered her glass to rest on crossed knees. "We both know it doesn't work like that. If I asked you right now to deny you love that girl would you be able to do it?"

* * *

"'Lo?"

Rick couldn't help but smile at her sleepy greeting. His conversation with his mother had left him reeling, but slouched down into the sea of pillows with Kate's voice in his ear, his thoughts were calm. "I can't wait until I'm waking you up next to me in the middle of the night instead of on the other end of the phone."

"You really know how to charm a girl, you know," Kate mumbled before a yawn squeaked through the line, her voice coming back clearer than before. "How'd it go with your mom?"

"Fine. Thanks for abandoning me with her by the way, I thought we were a team." Castle shifted to lean back against his headboard, eyes flicking to the red numbers on the nightstand. 12:34am.

"No problem, just doing my part to help you build character."

"Touché," he replied, his laugh rumbling up through his chest at her joke. He could see her face mashed into the pillow, the top of her head and the hand holding the phone against her ear the only parts of her sticking out above the covers. He had already learned that she loved to keep the bedroom mere degrees above freezing but sleep with a giant fluffy comforter to stay warm. "Anyway, I just wanted to call to tell you goodnight."

"Okay."

He suppressed another chuckle at her semi-coherent state, settling for a wide grin instead, even when his heart clenched.

"Goodnight, Katherine Beckett. Sleep well, I'll see you in the morning."

She let out a content hum, and he wished more than ever that she were next to him snuggled in his arms. "Goodnight, Rick. Love you."

* * *

A/N: FINALLY here is the new chapter. I hope you all are still with me and enjoying this! Things are about to start getting very interesting... ;)

Thank you as always to Kate Christie for the beta and to KC and Jenny for teaching me the evil ways of adverbs. I am already learning so much from the two of you!

Xx

Twitter: aspen_musing

Tumblr: aspenmusing


	14. Chapter 14

State of the Union

Chapter 14

"I don't like this Melanie woman."

Kate rolled her eyes; switching her cell phone to her other ear so she could apply mascara to her left eyelashes.

"65 percent of the American population does not share your view."

"I think she's only dating him for his money."

Kate barked out a laugh. "Mom! She's worth billions. The president's annual salary is weekend spending money to this woman."

"Okay, fine, for the publicity then."

Kate sighed, punching the phone to speaker and placing it on her bathroom counter so she could twist the mascara wand back into the bottle. She couldn't deny that one.

"Have you seen the article in the _Post_?" Johanna Beckett continued, a slurp of coffee echoing through the line.

"No, mom. I don't get the _New York Post_ down here in DC."

"I know for a fact that they sell it at news stands all over the country, Katherine."

"Fine, mother. What does the _Post_ say?" Kate said on an exasperated sigh. She leaned forward, expertly applying a thin layer of pale pink balm to her lips. News pages fluttered on the other end of the phone.

"_As Valentine's Day approaches, it is confirmed White House staff has already rented out DC's premiere Parisian restaurant for President Castle and billionaire philanthropist Melanie Carmichael. It is rumored that aids have also been seen making frequent trips to jewelry stores across the capital. Is more than just love in the air for America's first couple?"_

"He's buying her a ring, Katherine."

Kate bit back her knee jerk response of _if he's buying anyone a ring it's me_ and settled for a huff of disbelief instead. "He's not buying her a ring, Mom. They've only been dating for a month. If anything he's probably buying her some cliché heart locket necklace. Seriously, the man doesn't have the best taste in jewelry. You should see what he got Alexis for Christmas."

In fact he had picked out the perfect pair of pearl earrings for Alexis for Christmas. Not that anyone, especially her mother, needed to know that.

"Why are you being so cavalier about this this? Were you not the one who was bawling her eyes out over this same man just a couple of weeks ago?"

"I was _not_ 'bawling my eyes out'. There was a moment, mostly alcohol induced. It happened, it's over. There's a pet adoption day at the shelter this weekend, I hear American Staffordshire Terriers make great companions."

"Katie…"

"What do you want me to say, mom? That we're in a secret relationship and that Castle is only dating Melanie Carmichael as a cover story and to win votes with the American population? Please. That only happens in second rate rom coms." Kate plucked an errant hair from her brow, her gut clenching at the string of lies. "I gotta go, mom."

"Love you, Katie," Johanna sighed. "I just don't want you to do, or not do, something you'll regret. The president seems like he's getting serious about this one and I'd hate to see you hurt in the process."

"Love you too." Kate replied, praying the sudden waver in her voice wouldn't translate through the line. "Don't worry, mom. There's nothing to hurt."

* * *

"So, how'd your trip to London go?"

"Fine, it was short. Too short. I always try to take a trip down to France if I can, but I barely had time to sleep let alone slip off to the vineyard this time."

Castle looked up from his filet, purposefully keeping his gaze from drifting to the flashing lights on the other side of the window. "You have a vineyard in France?"

"Does that really surprise you?" Melanie replied, cutting her asparagus in half. "It's in the country just outside of Paris. You and Alexis should join me next time, or you are welcome to just use it anytime if you would like."

"Thanks," Castle stated with a small smile. "That is really nice of you."

"But?" Melanie hedged, continuing at Castle's incredulous look. "Oh, please. We both know there is a 'but' following that statement."

"But…" Castle continued on a huff, forcing his eyes not to roll in a move he swears he was starting to pick up from Kate. "After Meredith practically abducted Alexis to Paris I'm not too fond of the city."

"Abducted? I thought they just went there for Christmas." Melanie's prim forkful of grilled salmon paused halfway to her lips.

Castle winced. They had managed to keep that completely out of the media, hadn't they? "Oh, heh, yeah before Thanksgiving Meredith managed to sneak Alexis out of school and completely ditch the detail. Kate, Agent Beckett, and her team managed to pick them up at the airport before boarding, so no harm done. Their Christmas trip was a follow up compromise."

"I see." Melanie placed her fork and knife down on top of her half-finished meal, and settled back in her chair as she dabbed at her lips with the corner of her napkin. "How's that going by the way?"

"How's what going?"

It was Melanie's turn to roll her eyes. "Are we really going to play this game?"

"What game?" Castle feigned innocence, focusing instead on his steak.

"You. Agent Beckett."

Castle shrugged and another flash shown through the glass. "She's a friend and I trust her with my daughter's life."

"Fine." Melanie reached for her glass of white wine, pausing with it against pursed lips. "But tell me, how does your _friend, Kate_, feel about this little arrangement."

"Fine. She's fine with it. Why wouldn't she be?"

"Uh huh. Look, Rick. I am happy to keep doing this for as long as you want or need. I enjoy spending time with you. It's a nice break from corporate backstabbing and Wall Street snobbery. I'd even be more than happy with turning these into real dates if you wanted, but the American people seem to be fine about you being in a relationship, and I don't think it's just because it's with me. People are suckers for a good love story. However, they aren't too fond of being lied to. Just think about it. Now." Melanie, leaned across the table, reaching out to twine her fingers through his. "Smile for the cameras."

* * *

Castle loosened his tie as he trudged through the long halls of the residence.

"Hi, Dad."

Castle looked up to see his daughter perched at the dining room table, feet swinging, heels thunking against the legs of her chair while she hunched over her notebook.

"Hi, pumpkin. What are you still doing awake?" He asked when he leaned over to drop a kiss to her head.

"Planning out my end of the year science project. I'm thinking about doing something with physics this year. Plus, I wanted to make sure you got this. I didn't read it." Alexis held up a folded note with one hand while the other covered a jaw splitting yawn. "Kate left it for you. Did you guys have a fight? She was really quiet all day and left pretty early."

"No, we didn't have a fight, I promise. Okay, to bed with you." Castle hefted his daughter out of the chair by her armpits, even managing to elicit a tired giggle. "Love you."

"Love you too, Daddy."

With a final kiss, Alexis wandered to her room, leaving Castle alone with a flimsy piece of paper and too many thoughts.

It had been days since Kate's late night confession and neither of them had brought it up. Part of him wondered if she even remembered, but the guilt and doubt still nagged at his gut. Had she been pulling away the last week or so, or was it his imagination? She had spent almost every other night with him, keeping up her pattern of sneaking out in the early morning hours, but he could see it was starting to take a toll.

He flipped open the note after stripping off his jacket, tie and shoes, sinking down on the edge of his bed.

_Headed home. Needed some time to think. See you soon. _

_KB_

His heart sank like a weight. No, they hadn't had a fight. In order to fight they actually had to talk.

* * *

"Are you sure you don't mind?"

"Of course not, Ryan," Kate replied with an easy smile while they walked from the car lot to the door of the White House. "You're getting married. I would be worried if you _didn't _want to take a couple of weeks off for your wedding and honeymoon."

"It's just that Jenny has been doing everything on her own, and I figure it's the least I can do to take a few days off to help with the final preparations, besides I feel really bad leaving her all alone with my mother and sisters. And then we had plans to go to Napa for our honeymoon…"

"Ryan," Beckett interrupted the younger man's rant of justifications. "Enjoy yourself. You deserve it."

"Thanks, boss," Ryan replied, a faint blush creeping up his neck. "And you remember that Espo is my best man so…"

"Kevin. I've got it covered. I already recruited Rodrigues for the day and I'm sure someone else will be assigned."

"Yeah, Sorenson will probably happily volunteer," Esposito piped up, trotting up behind them.

"Javi!" Ryan hissed.

"What?" Esposito shrugged innocently. "Everyone knows. Is it really a secret anymore?"

"Everybody knows what exactly, Espo?" Beckett questioned, pivoting to face him with arms folded across her chest.

Esposito skidded to a stop, inches away from slamming into her, and Ryan slid slowly off to the side and out of her periphery.

"You know, you and Sorenson," Esposito stuttered. "On again."

Beckett narrowed her eyes, suppressing a twitch of her lips when he began to squirm under her glare. "You shouldn't always believe office gossip, Agent."

"Right. Of course not, boss." Esposito responded before bolting around her to follow Alexis through the doors. Beckett shook her head, laughing as he chivalrously stood, holding the door open for her.

That's a nice bracelet," Esposito continued, hedging when Beckett shrugged off her peacoat, looping it over one arm. "Looks like something one would definitely get from a boyfriend."

Kate glanced down to her wrist to see the edge of the Tiffany's bracelet dangling out under her blazer. It took every ounce of her strength not to pull her cuff down to hide it. Every morning her mind waged a battle over the damn thing. Most days she left it snug and safe in the jewelry box on top of the dresser in her bedroom but this morning she had let the want of the reassuring weight outweigh logic.

Kate rolled her eyes. She had been finding less and less evidence to substantiate the notion that women were bigger gossips than men.

"Agent Beckett."

Kate looked up to find Becky standing just inside the doorway, huddled against the wall in an effort to avoid the February draft. "Good afternoon, Becky. How are you today?"

"I'm doing just fine, Agent." Castle's assistant replied with a practiced smile. "The president requested you stop by his office when you returned."

Kate gave a short nod. To say Castle had been acting odd since his mother had visited would be an understatement. "Thanks, Becky."

Beckett hesitated when the young woman still lingered by her side.

"Is there something else I can help you with?"

"Hmm? Oh no, Agent Beckett. I'm sorry. I… just… just the message from the president."

Kate excused herself with a quiet thank you, scooting down the hall to the Oval Office.

"Hey," Kate greeted with a smile when she poked her head through the cracked door.

"Hey you." Castle smiled back, dropping his pen to stretch in his chair. "You're a sight for sore eyes. I spent my day surrounded by lawyers and lobbyists, none of them are as pretty as you."

"I knew it," Kate volleyed back. "You're just keeping me around for my looks."

"You smell better too," Castle responded. "Someone made the cruel suggestion to order Greek for lunch. So much garlic, onion, and weird cheese. And peppers. Oh dear lord the peppers. I honestly thought about requisitioning gas masks and declaring a state of emergency."

Kate chuckled as she rounded his desk to ease onto her normal perch, settled back against corner next to him. "No, you're right, Castle. You didn't inherit any dramatics from your mother at all."

"Thank you, I'm so glad you see it too. Crazy woman, I don't know what she was talking about."

"So, what's up?" Kate asked as his hand reached out to snag hers, his fingers playing easily with hers.

"I was thinking."

"Oh no, dangerous territory."

"Hush you. Anyway, I was thinking…" Castle trailed off, his eyebrow asked in pointed question until she pressed her lips together in a show of silence. "I would like to take you out on a date."

"A what?" Kate blurted out, her throat suddenly thick. And was the air getting harder to breathe? "What about Melanie?"

"I don't think she would want to join us," Castle joked. Clearing his throat, he continued at her narrow glare, his tone serious. " I want to talk to Paula and Gina. I figured Melanie and I could continue to do our thing until Valentine's Day, give the media a chance to make their googly-eyed headlines for the holiday and then we can phase it out. This was never meant to be a long-term arrangement anyway, at least not for me. I'm sure Gina and Paula will try to convince me otherwise."

Kate could feel the heat rising up her neck as his fingers brushed up the ridge of her bones, the pad of his thumb skating across the back of her hand, massaging the ligaments, muscles and tendons until they reached her wrist.

"Then," Castle continued, a smile playing over his lips as he found the hidden chain of the bracelet. "In April I have a birthday dinner and I would like to take you as my date."

Kate's eyes grew wide, stunned silence hanging between them.

"Don't look so shocked. Did you really think I wanted to keep this relationship with you as a series of stolen moments and late night liaisons?"

"I hadn't really thought about it." Beckett replied only to have Castle peg her with a disbelieving glare. "Okay, fine, I've thought about it. I've thought about it a lot. I just didn't..."

Kate trailed off and Castle pushed himself out of his chair on a sigh, never letting go of her hand.

His lips brushed the shell of her ear, his nose nuzzling into her hair— a dangerous move when the door could burst open at any given moment with a harried staff member on the other side.

"Katherine Beckett," he murmured the warm words over heated skin, and she slipped from her perch when he pulled her flush against his front. His next sentence brought a smile to her face. "I'm in love with you. Will you please go on a date with me?"

* * *

A/N: I am truly blessed and amazed at the amount of love this story has gotten. Thank you all and I hope you continue to enjoy because things are going to happen. ;)

Thank you as always to KC for being my trusty beta and sometimes psychologist. You kick my butt when I need it and I am forever grateful. I wouldn't be the writer I am today without your trusty input.

Until next time!

Twitter: aspen_musing

Tumblr: aspenmusing


	15. Chapter 15

State of the Union

Chapter 15

They were dancing, twirling across the sleek wooden floor of the ballroom, the cool, smooth tones of jazz filling the air. The skirt of Kate's deep purple skirt floated up and she spun, revealing her strappy, silver heels to the adoring eyes of the audience. Rick pulled her into him, his hand falling perfectly to her waist, securing her against his chest.

"This is perfect," he whispered into her ear with smiling lips. And it was. It truly was.

Just as the crowd started to applaud, the song morphed into a rock hit, couples filling the floor around them. The bass pounded in Kate's temples, and the lights blurred until she woke with a start.

"Coming. Coming," Kate grumbled, fingers fumbling with the tie to her robe as she stumbled toward her front door.

"Are you cognitively impaired?"

Kate took a step back, startled, when the man on the other side pushed past her into her apartment.

"Will? It's 5:30 in the morning."

"I've been calling you for an hour."

"It's my day off, my phone's on silent," Kate explained, rubbing the sleep from her eyes while they tracked the irate man pacing a hole in her living room floor. "What are you doing here?"

The authority, which laced her voice had Will turning toward her.

"I warned you. I stood toe to toe with you in that break room and warned you that you were playing with fire, and did you back away? No, you decided to stoke the damn flames. Hell, you jumped straight into the thing!" Will waved a manila envelope in her face.

"What are you talking about?" Kate reached up, snatching the envelope out of his hand. Her eyes grew wide when she took in the sight on the glossy pages inside. The resolution was low, the photo slightly distorted, blown up to the 8x10 size, probably the product of a quick cell phone shot, but that was unmistakably her and the president in an embrace, her hand coming up to cup his cheek, his wrapped around her back, their lips locked. "This was in the residence. How the hell did you get this? Did you take this?"

"Did I? Seriously, Kate? Who the hell do you think has been covering your ass these last couple of months? Do you honestly think you two have been _so _careful?" He was in her face now, his words spat against her cheek, the smell of coffee and toothpaste wafting up her nose. "I've been covering up sign in logs, and volunteering to review surveillance video so no one would be able to see footage of you coming and going at all hours. Hell, I even started rumors that you and I were dating so no one else would suspect, but apparently I wasn't the only one who noticed. These? These I can't make go away. It's a matter of hours before these are splattered across every news station in the country. Christmas, that bracelet," Will continued, his finger stabbing against the image still held in a vise grip in her hand. "The _apartment._"

"Hey, I pay rent!" The indignant argument fell from her lips.

"Yeah," Will snorted in response. "Because that's what they'll care about when reporting on the woman the president kept on the side. The harlot that broke up America's Perfect Couple."

"That's not true!"

"I know that, and you know that, but everyone else out there? Trust me, Katie. It's not going to be pretty. If I were you, I'd get out now. Go stay with your parents, head to that cabin in the woods, accept the first offer for a post in Altoona, I don't care, just get the fuck out, and try to forget this little tryst ever happened. If you thought Kennedy and Fitzpatrick had it out for you before, you have no idea how pissed they are now."

"Like hell, I'm not going anywhere." Kate crossed her arms over her chest, chin lifted in defiance.

"Why? Because he loves you? Because you love him? Trust me, when it comes down to love or reelection, that man will choose power over you every time. Politicians always do."

Kate's gut flared with indignation. How dare he, how dare he even think he knows anything about their relationship? They had been planning to come clean, to talk to Gina and Paula, figure out the best way to present their relationship to the press. Granted this method definitely was not ideal, but that did not mean all was lost. "That's not true, not with him."

"Fine, Kate. Do what you want. Stay, become the next laughingstock of the nation. I'm out. I did what I've done because of Chicago. You came to me, you told me something was going to go down and I ignored you. Then you got shot, kept your mouth shut, and took the fall for me. I owed you. I got you this job, then when this." His hand fluttered at the photos. "Whatever it is happened, I covered your ass. Consider the debt paid in full."

"Will!" Kate called as he brushed past her to the door.

"See you around, Kate. Good luck," he replied and then he was gone. The slam of the door resounded through the apartment, the envelope of pictures still hanging limply from her hand.

* * *

"Mr. President."

Castle's head hung between his hands, elbows resting on his knees. Things had been going so well, too well. He should have known, he should have seen it coming. He had come clean with Melanie over their Valentine's Day dinner, the reporters waiting like eager puppies on the sidewalk outside the little French bistro, the secret service agents and wait staff loitering just beyond the swinging doors to the kitchen. She had only responded with a knowing smirk and a pat on the back of his hand. She had spent the rest of the dinner asking him about their relationship, their plans for the future. It had been nice to be able to open up to someone other than his daughter about his budding life with Kate. The next day the news had reported that his beaming smile had been for Melanie alone. But now, a week later, minutes, seconds were ticking down before the entire media circuit exploded with reports to the contrary.

"I need to call her."

"Which her?"

The sassy comeback snapped Castle back to the present, eyes rising to meet those of the dozen people crowded into the living room of the residence. Identical looks of anger flared in Gina's, Kennedy's and Fitzpatrick's eyes. Becky lingered in the background, back against the wall, arms crossed over her chest.

"Both of them." Castle replied in kind.

"Sorenson already went to inform Beckett, and Paula's on the phone with Melanie right now," Gina announced to the room through gritted teeth. "Now, if you're done with your little show of making sure girlfriends' feelings aren't hurt, can we get back to the issue at hand? We need to handle this quickly."

Castle's fists clenched. He needed her. He needed to talk to Kate, to make sure she was all right. He should've been the one calling her, knocking on her door at dawn with this news, not anyone else. Especially not Sorenson. But he could call her in an hour. She could stay in the residence for a few days until things calmed down. Gina and Paula could spin this. It was their job. Everything would go back to normal.

"I think the best thing to do will be to send out a formal apology with Melanie at your side. Say it was a one-time thing. Agent Beckett is attractive, younger. You were caught in a moment of weakness. We'll attach another agent to Alexis's detail and in a month this will be nothing more than a blip on the radar."

Rick's head shot up. "Wait. That will make Kate out to be the bad buy. No, absolutely not. And what about her, what about Kate?"

"The transfer's already been put through. She'll be out of here by the end of the week," Fitzpatrick interjected, Kennedy not even bothering to cover his smirk at the man's side.

"No. If I make a statement to the press, I'm coming clean about everything, I am not throwing Beckett under the bus like that, and I am definitely not sending her off to guard some bunker in the middle of nowhere."

"It's an analyst position out of the FBI field office in Atlanta," Kennedy added, his bored tone sounding through the space for the first time. "She'll be out of the Secret Service and out of the field, but it's a good job, she'll be fine."

"Like hell," Castle growled in response. "Beckett's not going anywhere. She's staying here, with me."

"Sir," Gina interjected, her hands rising as she took a step toward where he was perched on the couch. "Honestly this is for the best, go your separate ways, let things settle down, then once you're re-elected or out of office see if something is still there. It's the best for everyone."

"She's not going anywhere except for here, so we can figure out what we're going to do, together. Now," Castle continued, his voice calm. "Someone took these photos and leaked them. Maybe we should be focusing our time and energy on finding out who the hell they are."

Gina nodded on a sigh, sharing a look with those next to her before they all turned, filing out of the room. "I'll let you know when she gets here."

* * *

Beckett growled as she switched her phone to silent and shoved it into the back pocket of her jeans. It had been ringing off the hook, friends, family, old roommates and colleagues she hadn't spoken to in years. She hadn't even answered the numerous calls from her parents. She had been forced to sneak out the back entrance to her building, the press already camped out on the front sidewalk not even half an hour after Will had left. She pulled the black baseball cap low over her forehead, and adjusted her oversized sunglasses when she made her way across the street, her head bent, shoulders hunched.

The guard at the gate gave her a double take when she slipped off her glasses and flashed her badge but still waved her through with a ducked head.

"Agent Beckett."

Kate's eyes snapped up to the sight of a perfectly coiffed head of blonde hair and power heels sauntering toward her.

"Ms. Griffin," Kate replied, making quick work of stripping off her glasses and hat.

"You shouldn't be here."

"Excuse me?" Kate shot back, her hand freezing from where it had been shaking out her hair. "Of course I should be here. I know you know about the pictures, I need to talk to Rick, figure out what to do."

"No, _we_ need to figure out how to fix this mess."

Tendrils of dread squeezed Kate's gut. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying." Gina continued, the words dragging from her tongue, the condescension igniting Kate's fear into fury. "That _Rick _is taking care of this without _you._"

"Well," Kate replied through gritted teeth. "If it's all the same to you, I'd rather hear that from him."

"I'm sorry." Gina shrugged, her face impassive, and Kate's eyes flitted to the dark haired woman sauntering up behind her. "But the guards have orders not to let you in."

"But…" Kate protested making to move toward the door only to have two marines, the same men she shared smiles with every morning for months, step forward in tandem.

Paula came to a stop next to her counterpart, her murmured words just loud enough for Kate to overhear. "Melanie Carmichael is on her way."

Kate turned, tears stinging at her eyes and her throat. The edges of world burned white. Gina's final words rung in her ears.

"Go home, Ms. Beckett. No one wants you here."

* * *

A/N: You honestly didn't think I'd make it that easy on them, did you? ;)

As always, thank you for reading and thank you to my lovely beta, KC, for taking the time out of her crazy life schedule to edit this for me.

Until next time.

Xx

Twitter: aspen_musing

Tumblr: aspenmusing


	16. Chapter 16

State of the Union

Chapter 16

"_'No comment.' That's the only official statement from the White House in the two days since the Agent Kate scandal broke. Photographs revealing the now infamous intimate moment between Secret Service Agent Kate Beckett, formerly in charge of First Daughter Alexis Castle's security detail, and President Castle have been corroborated with anonymous eyewitness accounts from insiders in the Castle administration. Inside sources have told us Beckett is also rumored to be involved in a romantic relationship with a fellow agent. Back to you, Steve."_

"Can you turn that off?" Kate peered through a slit in the blinds, eyes focused on the lone figure wading through the sea of reporters on the sidewalk stories below. Their numbers had doubled overnight. Someone must have tipped them off to her being there. Probably that old bat Mrs. Ovenshire down in 3C. They'd bumped into each other in the elevator the evening before.

Johanna muted the television obediently before turning to her daughter. "Katie, sweetheart, why didn't you tell us?"

Kate let her fingers slip from the blinds. "We were trying to keep it quiet."

Her eyes rolled at the responding snort, and she turned to face where her parents were seated on their couch. But despite her irritation, she couldn't help the smile that twitched at her lips at the sight of her father's arm curled around her mother's shoulders, twin glasses of wine resting against their knees.

The smile fell on a sigh. What they had was what she had wanted. A rapid fire of knocks on the door cut off her impending spiral of thoughts. Kate rushed over, her body pressing against the wood as she peered through the peephole, relief flowing through her veins when she saw the single figure on the other side.

"Lanie!" she greeted, pulling the door open and ushering her friend inside. "You got it?"

"Girl, you owe me. I'm getting too old for this cloak and dagger bullshit," Lanie Parish scolded when she held out the bag. "I put you on my plan so no one can trace it back to you. Unless someone who knows your new number snitches, you should be golden."

"Thanks. Until this blows over it'll just be the people in this room," Kate replied, settling in the overstuffed purple chair parallel to the couch to pull out the new iPhone. "I owe you one. My phone was ringing so much I finally just turned it off. Those reporters are ruthless."

"Tell me about it. I'm practically blind from all those cameras down there, and for all they know I'm a complete stranger." Lanie nodded to Kate's parents before settling in the matching chair opposite Kate's. "So spill, girl. You and President Hunky?"

"Lanie..." Kate whined fiddling with her new phone.

"Oh no you don't. I just risked hell and high water to do you this 'simple favor'. You said it yourself- you owe, so spill. All the gory details."

"The woman does have a point, Katherine."

Kate shot her mother a pointed look. "Traitor."

Kate had met Lanie by happenstance through her Stanford roommate who had later befriended Lanie in medical school at NYU. The outspoken ME had worked her way into Kate's life over Christmas party eggnog and had never left. This conversation was the first time Kate had regretted that.

"I don't know what happened. We were fine." Kate began before she could stop herself, emphasizing the last word when she slumped down into the plush cushion. "Then the story broke and…"

Her voice trailed off and she risked a look at her friend.

"Have you talked to him?"

"No. I tried. The switchboard attendant politely informed me that I am on the president's no call list and if I persist in my efforts to contact him, the authorities will be called. I know that's the truth, because I am that authority. Used to be at least..." She glanced around the room at the sympathetic faces. It was almost too much, so she focused instead on the random thread protruding from the seam of her jeans. "And Alexis's cell number was in my work phone, which I was unceremoniously stripped of along with my gun and badge. I didn't even get the chance to say goodbye."

"What about your friends? The other two agents you work with?" Her father interjected, yanking her from her thoughts of the willowy redhead.

Kate shook her head in response, her cheek smushed from where it came to a rest on her fist. "Ryan's getting married tomorrow. Neither of them is even in town."

She pushed herself out of the chair, fingers running through her hair, scratching at her scalp while she paced the length of the room. "My apartment is crawling with news trucks, I don't even know if I'll be able to get in to get the rest of my stuff. I'm supposed to be in Atlanta next week for an _analyst _job. I can't even be out in the field anymore, and the entire nation has branded me the Monica Lewinsky to Melanie's Hillary Clinton. This is a mess."

"So what are you going to do?" Lanie prompted when Kate fell into silence, once again sinking down into her chair, hands clasped in her lap.

"I don't know. I was considering heading up to the cabin tomorrow, just getting away for the week and letting this all die down before starting in Atlanta. If I even want to subject myself to becoming a paper pusher. It feels like I've failed, Lane. Everything I told myself I would accomplish, everything I wanted to be."

"Well what else would you do?"

"I don't know." Kate sighed. "You think the NYPD is hiring?"

"I'm sure they could be persuaded," Lanie retorted with pursed lips and a twinkle in her eye. "What about Castle?"

"What about him? It's impossible for me to even speak to him. I'm not going to continue to pine and bang my head against the wall, trying to get through to someone who obviously wants nothing more to do with me. He made his decision, now it's time for me to make mine."

* * *

"Mr. President it's been seventy-two hours. You need to make a statement. We can only say 'no comment' for so long. Speculation is already running rampant."

"But Beckett…"

"Is gone, sir. No one has been able to get a hold of her. She isn't at the apartment; her cell phone has been disconnected. The press hasn't even caught sight of her since the story broke. She's in the wind, sir."

Castle slumped forward, his head coming down to rest in his palms. "Are you sure there's been nothing? The front gate, the switch board?"

"I have informed both of them to let me know the minute she calls." Gina replied her hands clasped loosely in front of her. "But sir…"

"Okay, fine." Castle relented. She was right. He did need to say something, the longer he stayed silent, the worse it would be for everyone. "But I'm not putting on this front anymore. If I'm making a statement, I'm making the right one."

"Mr. President..."

"No, Gina. Enough is enough. Please schedule a press conference for this afternoon. I'll write my own statement."

"Sir..."

With one look from Castle, his jaw set, any remaining objection died on her lips. "Some things are more important than polling numbers."

Castle watched Gina disappear through the door, the sound of the latch echoing through the otherwise silent space. It was the first time, other than at night, his head spinning from insomnia, that he had found himself alone in days.

"Becky," Castle called through his intercom ten minutes later when the silence became stifling. "I'm going for a walk."

It wasn't a rare occurrence for Castle to roam the grounds but still, more than a year after he had taken office, people inevitably stared. His first notion was to wander to wherever Alexis was lurking over the weekend but he remembered when he rounded to the stairs to the residence that she had left early that morning for a friend's sleepover party at some ranch in Virginia, her temporary protective detail trailing behind. She had barely spoken to him since he had told her that Kate was gone, when she had responded with a slamming door. He turned instead to the French doors leading to the garden, breathing in as the February air welcomed him.

Something wasn't right. The feeling had been niggling at the back of his mind but it was the silence that finally brought it to the forefront. Running his fingers over the rough bark of a barren tree, he turned decisively back toward the building, glancing over his shoulder before ducking in through the door. He had answers to find.

He edged down the corridor with his back plastered against the wall, the Mission Impossible theme song humming through his mind. It wasn't that he wasn't _allowed_ to go to the security desk, technically he could do anything he wanted, it was just frowned upon.

"Hey, Joe," Castle greeted when he peeked around the corner to the rear of the booth.

"Sir!" The guard replied, his voice as close to a squeak as a large baritone could manage. "What are you doing up here?"

"I just have a question."

"Sure, sure." Joe glanced over his shoulder to where the other guard was busy with paperwork before casually slipping out of the booth and into the hall. "What can I do for you?"

"First of all, how are Angie and the kids?" Castle asked with a smile. Joe had been an unexpected ally when Rick had first taken office, their daughters hitting it off the first time they met.

"They're great. Kyle is working hard to make varsity next year and Vanessa won the lead in the spring musical." The other man beamed.

"Oh, that's fantastic! I know Alexis has been talking about wanting to go to a performing arts camp over the summer, maybe Vanessa would be interested also; it's always good to send them with a friend."

"I'm sure she'd love it," Joe replied with an indulgent smile. "But I'm guessing you didn't sneak all the way out here to make small talk about our kids."

"No," Castle admitted. "Actually I was wondering if anyone has come to see me in the last couple of days."

"Uh huh," Joe's smile grew, muscles threatening to bulge out of his sleeves when he crossed his arms over his chest. "And by anyone would you happen to mean a certain Secret Service Agent?"

"Possibly."

"Well, I haven't seen her but I overheard a couple of the others saying that she had been around a couple days ago, right after the news of your… relationship, broke. Said she and Ms. Griffin got into it."

Castle's eyes grew wide. "Gina talked to her?"

"Yes, sir. According to Randy it wasn't pretty, they almost had to intervene, but in the end Agent Beckett turned around and left."

"And nothing from her since?"

"No, sir but if I hear anything else I'll make sure to tell you."

"Thanks, Joe, but come to me directly, I'll let Becky know to put your calls through."

"Yes, sir."

Castle watched as Joe disappeared back around the corner into the booth before turning toward his office, anger swirling in his gut. He had to talk to Gina.

"Mr. President!"

Castle groaned as Agent Kennedy's voice drifted down the hall to his ears. "Spare me the lecture, Kennedy, I know I shouldn't be out here."

But the fine hairs on the back of his neck prickled as the senior agent waved off his statement. "Sir, you need to come with me. We have a problem."

* * *

Kate was still shaking out her hair when she pushed open the front door to her parents' cabin. It had been refreshing— the freezing February air whipping around her body as she sped down the highway on her '94 Harley Softail. Knowledge of the back exit of the parking garage where her bike was stored and the anonymity of her purple glittered motorcycle helmet had allowed her the chance to get out of the city undetected. Any zealous reporters who had decided to stake out the cabin in the middle of winter had since given up the fight with the frigid weather. For the first time in days, Kate felt like she could breathe again.

It was picturesque— the cabin lost in the snow-covered woods. Soon there would be smoke merrily puffing from the chimney, lights glowing in the windows. It reminded her of Christmas, and she shook her head while she pulled off her gloves, wincing as the frozen air inside the cabin nipped at her fingertips. She shot off a quick message to her parents alerting them of her safe arrival before tossing her phone and helmet on the counter, her bag shrugged off her shoulder onto a chair and made her way out back to the woodpile. Fire first, everything else second.

The cabin warmed quickly as the fire crackled in the stone fireplace, and Kate finally shed her leather jacket and knee-high boots in favor of fuzzy winter socks and a sweater. Spring would be coming soon, sooner still in Georgia but for now she rested her head back against the couch and stared blankly into the flames. Everything felt wrong.

The trill from her cell phone jolted Kate back to reality from where she had dozed off, head lolling against the cushion. Yawning, she nuzzled back down, content with the thought that it was just her mother confirming she had received Kate's message of safe arrival. It had been over 72 hours since the news broke, and equally as long since she had managed solid sleep. It wasn't until the third message rung through that Kate finally pushed herself off of the sinfully comfortable sofa and padded back over to the counter with the intent of acknowledging her mother and switching the offending object to silent.

The electronic tune of the phone's default ringtone blared through the cozy space the minute Kate's fingers wrapped around it, and she sighed when she lifted it to her ear.

"What, mom?"

"Katie. Turn on the news."

"Mom?"

"Just do it."

Kate's heart leapt to her throat, blood rushing to her ears as the sleepy fog surrounding her brain cleared and she stumbled toward the TV in the corner.

"What station?"

"Any of them."

Kate growled in frustration when she pressed the power button with no results, falling to her knees, her fingers fumbling to reconnect the power cord and cable a moment later. Throwing the useless remote over her shoulder, her index finger jabbed at the channel button until she found the first news network, the headline splattered across the screen causing her drop to the floor.

"Mom, I'll call you back," she mumbled, ignoring the responding calls of "Katie" when the phone fell forgotten to her lap.

Her eyes were trained on the somber eyes of the reporter, the words finally filtering to Kate's ears.

_"It was confirmed only moments ago that First Daughter Alexis Harper Castle has indeed been reported as missing, presumed kidnapped from a friend's birthday party this morning. This news comes in the wake of the scandal that the head of the young lady's security team, Secret Service Agent Katherine Beckett, had been having an affair with President Castle and is no longer part of her detail. Reports have yet to confirm if the two incidents are related. We turn you over now to a live conference with the president." _

Kate's fingers gravitated to the screen, the tips brushing against the lines of his face. He had aged ten years in the four days since she had seen him last. Alexis was gone. If she hadn't given into her feelings for him she would have been there, she could have stopped this. She could have saved him this pain.

_"When this conference was called earlier today, I was planning to make a very different sort of statement but now my 12 year-old daughter is missing, someone took her, presumably to get to me. This is a formal plea to those involved, if you return her unharmed we may grant you leniency, but if you don't, or if you touch even a single hair on her head, I promise I will find you, and no power of this world or beyond will be able to save you."_

The tears staining his face couldn't negate the fire in his eyes. Kate's gaze drifted down to where her fingers still pressed against the screen. A tear trailed down her cheek, mirroring his.

Alexis.

_"Kate-"_

Her attention snapped up to find him staring straight back at her through the screen.

_"I know you're probably mad at me, and you have every right to be. But if you see this, just know I'm sorry and that I need you. I can't do this without you." _

* * *

A/N: And the plot thickens! Thank you to all of you for reading, for your lovely words of encouragement and for your patience. Apologies for the delay with this chapter. It was as stubborn as both Castle &amp; Beckett can be sometimes. ;)

And thank you as always to KC for being the most kick-ass beta ever. Seriously, everyone, she kicks my ass on the regular but never ceases to help make my words pretty.

Until next time! Xx

Twitter: aspen_musing

Tumblr: aspenmusing


	17. Chapter 17

State of the Union

Chapter 17

"Castle!" The name left Kate's lips in a strangled shout. She didn't care how desperate she sounded while pushing her way through the guards and murmuring personnel to the Oval Office.

After hearing Castle's plea, it had taken Kate all of two minutes to pull back on her boots and helmet, grab her bag, and be roaring down the highway at speeds she hadn't allowed her bike to reach in the better part of a decade. It was a six hour drive to D.C.. She had done it in four. Four hours too long.

"Kate!" Castle called, pulling her back to the present. Her thundering heartbeat soothed a fraction at sound of his voice. Before her motorcycle helmet could even clatter to the floor at their feet, she was in his arms. Her hands smoothing down his ruffled hair, rubbing the tense lines of his neck, his face buried in her neck.

"You're here."

"No place else I'd be," Kate soothed, ignoring how the rest of the room had stopped what they were doing to stare.

"You have a motorcycle?" Castle continued, his words rumbling against her neck. "That's so hot."

Kate choked back a laugh, pulling him tighter against her body. "Yeah, and I almost decked the guard at the gate. He wouldn't let me in, Joe came to my rescue."

"Remind me to send that man a fruit basket. I'm so sorry, that wasn't me. I never told them to lock you out. And now Alexis..."

"It's okay. It's going to be okay, we're going to find her," she promised, hoping to god she wouldn't break it.

"I'm so sorry, Kate." He whispered, his lips painting the words on her skin. "I should have done something, anything. I love you."

"It's okay. I love you too," she hummed into his ear. "Let's find our girl."

"Mr. President." A voice sounded softly from her side and Kate pulled back, tracing the shell of Castle's ear with her thumb. She willed down the blush threatening to climb up her neck at the room full of people not looking at them.

While Castle turned his attention to the man at their side, Kate extracted herself from his grasp, spotting a group of agents congregating off to the side.

"I want my badge and gun back," she stated, stepping up to them.

"Miss Beckett..." Agent Kennedy started, hands clasped in front of him.

"Agent Beckett," Beckett spat back, the last of her patience snapping. "I'm not doing this now, not with that little girl out there missing and terrified. So, you're going to give me my badge and gun, we're going to find Alexis, and then we'll sit down and have a discussion. Are we clear?"

Kennedy leveled her with a look before his shoulders sagged, a hand coming up to press his fingers against his forehead. "Fine."

"Beckett!" A shout came from across the room and Kate was turning before Kennedy could say any more, leaving the senior agent to go retrieve her belongings.

"Ryan? Espo? What are you doing here."

The two men wound through the room, tuxedo jackets open, bow ties hanging from around their necks. Ryan shrugged, clipping his own badge and gun to his waist. "We got the call, we came."

"But your wedding…"

"We were already in the reception. First dance was done, cake was cut," Ryan explained. "I'll make it up to Jenny."

"In that case, congratulations, now let's get to work."

The trio made their way to a quieter corner of the room, huddling together.

"So, what do we know? Why there? Why now?"

"Not much. Alexis left for a ranch in Virginia for her friend's sleepover birthday party. The team arrived safely. She disappeared from the property."

"From underneath the noses of three highly trained agents."

"It happens. Hell it happened to us once."

Beckett's head snapped up at Esposito's words. "That's why."

"Beckett?" Ryan questioned, fingers flicking open the button of his collar.

"After Meredith took off with Alexis we stepped up our game, made sure no one got near her without us knowing about it. We never left her alone. This was the first time in months none of us was there. If I'm right, and this person is on the inside, he could have known you two would be out from your leave requests, but me... There's no way they would have known I'd be out unless they're the ones who orchestrated it," Kate explained, accepting her badge and gun from Kennedy automatically. "We need to talk to those agents, and we need to find out who the hell leaked those photos."

Beckett veered off to the side when they made their way toward the door.

"Hey," she greeted, placing a warm palm on Castle's shoulder. "How you doing?"

"Been better," Castle responded with a wan smile. "What's up?"

"We're headed to Virginia, talk to the agents, see the ranch. I need you to do something for me."

"Name it."

"I need to know who leaked those pictures."

"You think they might be connected?"

"I do."

"Okay." Castle's breath came out in a whoosh, a fist clenched in his hair. "I can do that."

"We're going to find her."

"They haven't yet."

"They aren't me."

The tense lines of Castle's body deflated, leaning over to brush a lingering kiss to her cheek. "Go find our girl."

* * *

Castle drew in a breath, steeling himself before marching across the room, his fingers flexing by his sides. "Gina. We need to talk."

"Sir, yes. I know I need to explain…"

Castle held up a hand. "Later. Now I need you to tell me the truth."

"About what?'

"The photos of Kate and me. Did you leak them?"

"No!"

Castle raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Gina, this is my daughter's life on the line."

"I know, and I have no idea who leaked those photos. Trust me, this story is the last thing I wanted getting out."

Castle studied the face of the woman before him. "Fine," he finally relented between gritted teeth. "Who did."

"I don't know. I thought it was your girlfriend."

"Kate?" He let out a snort. "Definitely not."

"Yeah, figured that out." Gina mumbled. "Why does it matter?"

"She thinks it's connected."

"You think whoever kidnapped Alexis took the pictures? But why?"

"Kate would never have let someone get near her."

"So they had to get Kate out of the way." Gina let out a shaky breath, and held out a sheet of paper. "I already had Lawrence pull the names of anyone who could have had access to the residence at that time. Here."

"Good." Castle strode over to his desk, his finger still trembling as he jammed it into the intercom button. "Becky, I need you to pull some personnel files for me."

After a beat he pressed the button again. "Becky?"

When there was still no response, Castle scanned the noisy, crowd, searching the sea of faces. When he failed to find the one he was looking for, he lifted two fingers to his mouth, producing a hair splitting whistle. When the room fell into a stunned silence, he spoke up. "Has anyone seen Becky?"

At the response of shaking heads and confused murmurs, Castle traced his finger down the list of names. He let out a soft swear as the sinking feeling in his gut threatened to bottom out. After a moment he turned to where Agent Sorenson was lingering behind him. "My assistant, Rebecca Small. Find her. Now."

* * *

Ryan's skin was pale and clammy once they finally screeched to a halt next to the other police sedans and unmarked black SUVs outside the Virginia ranch. Even Esposito was looking a little green, but neither dared to say anything. Afterall, they had made aR drive the GPS told them would take just under an hour in half that time.

"I didn't know an Escalade could jump a median like that." Espo commented when they followed Kate through the front doors.

"I didn't know it was possible for one to make it up to 100 miles per hour on the interstate shoulder."

"You guys finished? We have a kid to find," Kate interjected, turning on the balls of her feet without losing a beat as she continued to walk backward down the hall.

"Yep."

"We're good."

"Good." Kate confirmed, turning forward again, stopping only when she was in front of the three agents that had composed Alexis's security detail. "Rodrigues."

"Beckett, what a surprise. You're back." Agent Rodrigues drawled, giving her a nod before motioning to the other two agents next to him. "This is Agent Smith and Agent Michaels."

"Agents," Beckett greeted. "What the hell happened?"

The three exchanged an uncomfortable look before turning their attention back to her.

"We arrived, did our usual perimeter check, cleared the house and the property. Everything was secure. There's security at the gate, a fence with cameras around the whole property. Everything was fine," Rodrigues explained. "We didn't see anything out of the ordinary."

"Walk me through it," Kate interjected between excuses. "When was the last time someone saw her."

"Rodrigues was the last," Smith spoke up for the first time. "The girls were out in the stables visiting the horses, Alexis had to use the bathroom so he walked back with her."

"I was waiting in the kitchen, making myself a sandwich," Rodrigues explained and Kate rolled her eyes. The man could always be found around food. "I realized it had been a while, so I went to check on her. She didn't answer when I knocked so I jimmied the lock, and found the bathroom empty. The window was open and she was gone."

"The cameras?" Kate questioned, willing the waiver to stay out of her voice.

"Nothing. They were conveniently black."

"Anything out of the ordinary? Cars? Suspicious looking parents?"

"No, nothing."

"Where were you two?" Esposito piped up, looking between Smith and Michaels.

"I was walking the perimeter of the stables," Michaels replied. "Smith was on break."

Beckett exchanged a look with Ryan and Esposito, before excusing herself and leading her agents to the next room.

"What you thinking?" Esposito started, his voice low. "Inside job?"

"Definitely. Ryan, pull all their personnel files, financial, phone logs. I want to know everything about these guys."

"Done. Anyone in particular you want me to focus on?"

Kate shook her head. "It could be one, it could be all of them, but they aren't agents right now. They're suspects."

* * *

A/N: Thank you to all of you, as always for reading and for your kind words. I know I say it all the time, but I am so grateful for your support for this story. Also, thank you to KC for the flamingo edits. Pink is the new red. You heard it here first.

Until next chapter! Xx

Twitter: aspen_musing

Tumblr: aspenmusing


	18. Chapter 18

State of the Union

Chapter 18

"The Colombian drug cartel?" Beckett repeated the information back to Esposito, incredulousness lacing her voice.

"That's what it says. Matching deposits were made to Becky's, Smith's, and Michaels' accounts. The financial analysts traced it back through a couple shell companies and ultimately to an account in Colombia."

"Why the hell would Colombian drug lords take the president's kid?"

Her question was met with twin shrugs from the agents at her sides.

"Okay, fine. Assuming it was the Colombians, they had to have a car right? Anything from video footage? Traffic lights, ATMs, anything?"

"Tech's still working on it."

Beckett ran a hand through her hair, fingers threatening to tug it out by its roots. It was going on twelve hours. No contact, no ransom call, no leads besides the two turncoats sitting in their interrogation rooms. Alexis had to be terrified. Rick was going insane with worry. His face was a mask, body held rigid, but she had seen it in his eyes, heard it in his voice when she had given him an update. The news that Meredith was on her way from California hadn't helped matters.

She turned back to the boys, resolved. "Smith and Michaels are in this, they're all we got. We need to break them. Now."

* * *

Castle stared through the one-way glass. Becky hadn't been hard to track down; the agents had caught her trying to board a flight to Laos- one of only 73 countries without U.S. extradition treaties, not to say the CIA couldn't have been employed to bring her back anyway. A small smirk pulled at his lips- being the boss did have its perks. She now sat in a nondescript interrogation room in the basement of a bland federal building on the outskirts of the city. Castle's hands twitched at his sides while Sorenson stared Becky down across the table. The agents being interrogated in the surrounding rooms were holding out, stoic in their silence. Beckett was still going at them strong, but the look she had shot him just moments before had told him she was not hopeful. But Becky was shrinking by the second under the scrutiny, limbs trembling. Of the trio, she would be the most likely to crack first.

"Where's Alexis."

The words filtered in through the intercom bringing Castle back to the present.

"I— I don't know."

The silence drew out and Becky squirmed in her chair, eyes darting around the small cube of space.

"Becky…"

"I really don't know. All I did was take the pictures, I swear."

"What pictures?"

"The one of the First Daughter last summer and the one of the president and Agent Beckett, but I didn't take Alexis."

Sorenson leaned back in his chair. An extra beat passed, the fluorescent light shining off the sheen of perspiration beading along Becky's hairline.

"I believe you."

The woman sagged in her seat.

"You're still looking at time in prison, but if you help us out we might be able to return the favor."

Becky fidgeted again, fingers coming up to run through her hair only to fall back to her lap, wringing. "I…"

"We saw the money transfers. We know it was Colombians. All you have to do is give us a name."

Becky let out a dry laugh. "You don't know anything."

"What do you mean?"

Castle looked over his shoulder at the sound of the door opening. Without a word Beckett slid to stand next to him. Her hand slipped into his, stilling his twitching fingers.

"Becky, this is a little girl. She did nothing wrong. All you're doing is pissing off a lot of very powerful people."

Becky huffed again. "That was the point. When they found Alexis's body and all paths would lead back to the Colombians…"

Kate tensed next to him.

"Just give me a name."

"No. No. I want immunity and a new identity. He'll know it was me."

Sorensen nodded slowly even as Castle's hand turned into a vise. "That can be arranged, but only if we find Alexis alive and well. Now, who will know?"

Becky deflated in her chair. "He got into the drug trade. That's how he was able to finance his rise to power, but the Colombian and Mexican cartels have been growing, encroaching on his turf."

Will slid the yellow legal pad and pen across the table, his eye contact with Becky never faltering when she started to break.

"That's when they came up with the plan." Becky continued. "They take the girl, frame the Colombians. No one would be focused on what was happening domestically if they were focused on an international incident. Everything got messed up. It was supposed to be so simple but then _she _showed up and ruined everything. He got so mad."

"Who showed up? Who got mad? I need a name, Becky."

"But I saw her wearing the bracelet and I figured I had a chance to redeem myself with him, so I snuck into the residence and took the pictures and sold them to the newspaper. The money was in my account the next day. It's ironic, you know. If she had just let him die in the first place none of this would have ever happened."

Castle froze. His wide eyes met Sorenson's when the Agent turned in his chair to look at the glass. Kate's words whispered through the room.

"Son of a bitch."

* * *

Kate leaned against the doorjamb while she stared at the white canopy bed. Only the crisp pink comforter, complete with hospital corners stared back. Her thumb gravitated to her lips, teeth gnawing on the flesh beside her nail. The maid must have made the bed. The grandfather clock in the hall ticked on, and the hair on the back of Kate's neck pricked. It had been less than 24 hours but it felt like it had been days.

"I can feel you pacing."

Kate tilted her head, leaning it against the wall, and Castle came to a stop behind her, his chin dropping to rest on top of her hair. "I feel useless. They kicked us out, how could they kick us out?"

"They have every analyst on the books following paper trails and running down evidence to back up Becky's claim. They need proof if they're going to go after him for this. It needs to be airtight, and the best way to find Alexis is to take him down, and fast. Honestly I haven't seen the FBI work this efficiently on something ever. Now, it's late, we're supposed to be sleeping."

Castle's answering snort brought a small smile to her lips. "Good luck with that. I'll be pacing."

* * *

They were sacked out on the couch, jackets shed, shoes kicked to the side when Kate's phone pinged. The laugh track following Chandler's punch line was quickly muted by Castle's jab at the remote. Neither of them had been watching anyway.

"Beckett," Kate answered, her tone clipped with frustration. The sun was just starting to glow orange on the horizon. "Okay. I'll be right there."

"I?" Castle questioned once she was standing, her phone shoved in her pocket. "_We_. There is no way in hell I'm staying here alone."

"Castle. They said…"

"No." He cut in, pushing himself to stand next to her, arms crossed, defiant. "My kid, my agents, my rules."

"Okay, fine. I'm not arguing. Hurry up and change, we gotta go."

"What's going on?"

"They got him. Bringing him in now."

"Alexis?"

Kate shook her head. "Still working on it."

* * *

His eyes were glued to the scene in front of him, Agent Sorenson fidgeting at his side. Agent Kennedy sat at the table, hands clasped in front of him as the man and his attorney across the table from him pontificated. Kate was standing in the corner of the room, back resting against the wall, arms folded across her chest. Castle wondered if the good senator could feel her eyes boring into the side of his head.

William Bracken.

It took everything in him not to jump straight through the glass and strangle the man sitting on the other side. Castle had known Bracken for years. He considered the man a friend. Their children played together at parties. His stomach churned. He might be sick.

"So, what? You brought me in on the word of some girl?"

"No, Senator," Kennedy replied, the epitome of calm. "We brought you in on the word of some girl and the money trails linking your bank account to that of Rebecca Small, Robert Smith, Jonathan Michaels, and known drug dealer, Vulcan Simmons, as well as emails you sent from an encrypted account to that of Carlos Mendez, a wanted gun for hire."

Castle's breath caught in his chest when Kate pushed herself off the wall and sauntered toward the table. Her hand reached up, pulling the neckline of her deep v-neck t-shirt off her shoulder, revealing the round puckered scar that marred her skin above her heart. "I took a bullet for you, Senator."

"And for that I am eternally grateful, but I don't see what that has to do with the situation at hand." Bracken relaxed back in his chair with a smirk.

Beckett's hands slammed down on the table causing both Kennedy and the attorney to jump in their seats, her eyes level with Bracken's steady ones. "Next time I won't be so altruistic."

"And what makes you think there will be a next time?"

"I'm sure it could be arranged."

Beckett strolled out of the interrogation room as Bracken's attorney bolted to his feet, his arguments of threats and brutality following her out the door.

"That wasn't smart," Sorenson scolded when the door swung open and Beckett came storming into the observation room.

"Yeah, well, what's he going to do? Sue me?"

"Or off you."

Beckett scoffed. "I'd like to see him try." She continued to stare through the glass, arms crossed. "He's never going to admit to anything."

"So what do we do?" Castle asked, his voice a growl, blunt fingertips scrubbing at his scalp. He needed his daughter back and they were spinning in circles.

"We go pick up Carlos Mendez," Beckett responded, tapping on her phone before shoving it back in her pocket. "That was Espo, they found him."

* * *

The quiet was disconcerting when Beckett stepped out of the secluded mansion in upstate New York. Part of her had been expecting a sea of press even though she knew it was impossible. No one was aware they were there, not yet anyway.

She stumbled and paused to gain her footing.

Esposito and Ryan made to hurry over but she held up a palm to stop them. Her head was throbbing. Her legs were jelly and her back ached. The strain was only exacerbating the bruises blooming over her spine, but there was no way in hell she was putting down the trembling waif of a twelve-year-old in her arms.

"You're getting too big for this, kid. The next growth spurt and you'll be carrying me around."

Alexis' legs clamped hard around Kate's waist, feet locked behind her back, arms wound around her neck. The girl huffed a watery laugh, and Kate pressed a kiss to the side of her head. "You're okay. I've got you."

Too many eyes were on them by the time they reached the car- agents, witnesses and workers having their statements taken, men being led away in handcuffs- but Kate couldn't bring herself to care. She tapped her palm against Alexis's thigh but the girl just clung tighter. So, Kate turned to address the silent legion of agents at her side with Alexis wrapped around her like a baby koala. She had the feeling both she and Rick would be sleeping on the girl's floor for the next week.

"We're heading home. I'll take her statement in a couple of days. Ryan and Espo will follow, the rest of you finish cleaning up this mess and get our… guests… back to headquarters, a second plane will be waiting for you at the airfield."

She coaxed Alexis down long enough to slide into the SUV and the girl cuddled immediately into her side once Kate slid in after her. She hadn't said a word since Kate had found her, huddled in the corner of what, under different circumstances, would have been a luxurious room.

"I got you," Kate whispered again, willing her limbs to not tremble as the rush of adrenaline started to leech from her system. "We're going home."

The flight was a blur of black sky and the red head of hair pressed into her shoulder.

"You're okay. You're okay." The words played over and over, in her head and on her lips like a mantra. Maybe if she said them often enough one of them would start to believe it.

* * *

Kate had never been hugged so hard as she was when Castle greeted them on the tarmac at Andrews Air Force Base, Alexis sandwiched between them, the trio a sea of tears and arms. But she had been wrong, they didn't spend the night on Alexis's floor, instead the three of them snuggled like sardines, freshly bathed and wide awake, in Castle's king sized bed.

Kate's eyes trailed over to the pair huddled in the bed. Meredith would be there in the morning. The press were camped out even though an official statement had already been released. The internet was alight with stories and conspiracy theories. Mendez, Simmons, and the former White House employee and Secret Service Agents were all in custody. Bracken had sauntered out of the interrogation room and on his way with a warning not to leave town when the others had sat in silence- none willing to exchange testimony for leniency. Even Becky hadn't named him directly.

"We'll get him." Sorenson had whispered over her shoulder.

Alexis was buried in Castle's side, her head pillowed on his shoulder, arm wrapped around his middle. She still hadn't said anything. Kate curled over, facing them and rubbed a hand down the girl's back. Exhaustion and a week's worth of emotion unfurled in her gut, threatening to rise up her esophagus. Whatever Bracken's fate would be, it wouldn't be enough.

Kate's hand pulled back and she shifted, readying to roll out of the bed and sprint toward the bathroom. She was entitled to a breakdown, they all were, but that didn't mean she had to do it where they could see her.

Alexis grappled for her hand, holding her strong against her side. "Don't leave."

Kate choked back a sob, leaving it a ball in her throat.

"I'm not going anywhere, just getting comfortable." The words escaped in a croaked whisper. But she ran her hand through the girl's hair, placating.

"Stay."

Kate sighed, eyes meeting Castle's over his daughter's head. This was her fault, too. Now it was her job to make it right. "Always."

* * *

A/N: Thank you so much for reading and for your patience and encouragement for this chapter. I know it's been a while. Only a couple more to go after this one! Thank you as always to Kate and Jenny for the edits and constant encouragement. This probably would have never materialized without you two.

Until next time! Xx

Twitter: aspen_musing

Tumblr: aspenmusing


	19. Chapter 19

State of the Union

Chapter 19

Kate sank into the corner of her couch. Her legs curled up under her even as her eyes stayed trained on the television, phone propped against her shoulder.

"I can't believe this. Katherine, is this true?"

Kate breathed out. Slow, calculated. "Yes, mom. It's true."

"Then why isn't he in prison?"

Kate pressed the heel of her free hand to the healed bullet wound in her shoulder. "Friends in high places and a long reach. No one will name him. We have money trails but we need more."

"And the press got wind of this how?"

Kate's teeth sank into her lower lip, eyes rolling up to study the smooth plaster ceiling. "Anonymous tip?"

"Katherine. You didn't…"

"If aconcerned citizen_, not_ employed by the government," Kate interrupted, "happened to go to the press with information alleging a connection between a prominent Senator, drugs, and kidnapping they couldn't be held responsible for what the press did with it. Hypothetically, of course."

"Of course," Johanna mused. "And that being said, how is the unemployed life treating you, Katie?"

Kate shrugged. "It's fine. Been spending a lot of time with Alexis and Rick."

"How is Alexis?"

"She's okay. Better each day, but sometimes she still just stops and stares off into space. She insists she's fine, but Rick made an appointment for her with a therapist."

"That's probably a good idea. If she's not talking to either of you she needs to talk to someone."

"Yeah. I just wish none of this had happened. If I had just—"

"This is not your fault, Katherine. You saved her. You can ask yourself 'what if' and 'if only' until you are blue in the face but it won't change anything. This is Bracken's fault, no one else's, especially not yours." The conviction in her mother's voice sent a shiver down Kate's spine.

She nodded despite the fact that no one was able to see her. "Yeah."

"Now, how's President Ruggedly Handsome, and when do your father and I finally get to meet our future son in law and granddaughter?"

"Mom…" Kate groaned at her mother's teasing, her head flopping back on the couch. "We haven't even been on a real date yet."

Or had a real conversation in the past week. They were strongest in their silence, talking with touches and looks, but not words. Kate sighed into the phone. Maybe she should make an appointment with a therapist too. Maybe they all should. The family that psychs together…

Family.

"Katie?"

"Huh?"

"You okay?"

"Yeah, mom. Fine," Kate murmured back, still dazed. "I, um, I gotta go though."

"Oh, okay. Love you."

"Love you too. Tell dad I said hi."

"I will. Bye, Katie."

"Bye."

Kate slid down until she was lying on the couch, legs slung up over the back cushion. When had she started to think of Rick and Alexis as family, and why didn't it send her into a blind panic?

Her fingers came up to massage the crease of her brow. This was the first time she had spent any time in her own apartment in the past week, other than to pop in to gather clean clothes. Even when Meredith had come teetering through the doors of the residence, Kate had stayed in her position cuddled up on the couch. Castle's arm had tightened around her shoulder, pulling her into his side, while Alexis had heaved herself to stand, back rigid when Meredith hugged her.

"_I'm okay, Mom." Alexis murmured, her eyes still focused on Kate and her father from where her head was resting on Meredith's shoulder. "Kate found me."_

_Kate forced a smile onto her face in reassurance while Castle's hand remained, warm on her arm._

_Meredith pulled back from her daughter and shot Kate a look over the girl's head. Gratitude, jealousy, disgust- it was all there, painting Meredith's face. Yes, Kate had brought the girl home but if she had been there to begin with, if she hadn't been fired for falling for the president..._

No. She hadn't failed, she had brought Alexis home. Bracken's men would have taken Alexis regardless of who was outside that bathroom door. Rick had reassured her of that time and again over the past week, his lips pressed to her ear, murmuring the words of comfort for only her to hear– holding her in the shower when she broke down. And she had done the same for him, his head cradled against her chest.

With a shake of her head, Kate clicked the volume button on the remote until the reporter's voice floated through the apartment once again. Getting copies of the evidence to anonymously leak to the press hadn't been difficult once she had handed her badge and gun back to Kennedy. It was good to have friends in high places. Now, three days later, the media world was still abuzz. Given time the FBI and Attorney General's Office could bring Bracken down, but nothing was ever simple when politics were at play. The media though, had its own set of rules, and while money and strong arming could silence some lips they couldn't silence the world.

Kate smirked at the screen. One way or another Bracken was going down.

The phone buzzed again. The lyrics to Blondie's _One Way or Another_ blared through the space and Kate let out a small laugh even while her eyes rolled. She was never leaving Rick alone with her phone again.

Her brow wrinkled at the unfamiliar Manhattan number and she straightened in her spot when she pressed the phone to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Kate, it's Melanie Carmichael. We should talk."

* * *

Kate Beckett walked the halls of the White House in a daze, a visitor pass clipped to the lapel of her casual white button down.

"Even when you're no longer a secret service agent, you insist on dressing like one."

"Huh?" Kate turned on the spot to find her boyfriend leaning against the wall right behind her. Jumping back, she pressed her hand to her chest. "Jesus, Castle! How long were you following me?"

"I wasn't," Castle replied, pushing himself off the wall with a smirk. "You walked right past me. What's got you so out of it? I haven't seen you this dazed since the night we…"

"Hey!" Kate's eyes flitted to the two secret service agent standing to the side. "A little discretion."

"Why, Katherine Beckett, I was referring to the time you, Alexis and I turned the Grand Ballroom into a strobe-light laser tag course. We were all zombies for an hour after that. And what exactly were _you _thinking about?"

He sauntered closer to her, his hands shoved in his pockets, his body leaning into hers. His warmth and scent cocooned her. She hummed against his neck, causing his throat to bob. "You know what night I'm thinking about."

"I'm not sure I do, but I do know I would be up for a repeat performance."

She leaned back to smile up at the impish gleam in his eye, her own eyes darting down and up again with a raised eyebrow. "Oh, you would, would you?"

"Yeah, I would. Tonight. But right now I want to know why you're wandering the halls of the White House looking like you just saw Abe Lincoln's ghost."

Her fingers twined through his, and she tugged him closer, sinking into him, revelling in the feeling of his solid weight against her. She had missed this.

"I got a call from your girlfriend this afternoon," she murmured, the volume low enough for just him to hear.

"What?" He yelped in surprise. Her hand reaching out to catch his tie when he rocked onto his heels and she pulled him back into her. "Beckett? I don't… I promise…"

"Will you hush?" She chastised in response, a laugh escaping her lips. "Melanie Carmichael called me. She offered me a job."

"Melanie?" He repeated, eyebrows shooting to his hairline. "She called you? About a job?"

"Yes," Kate drew out the word, her teeth worrying her lower lip while she studied the wild, calculating expression that had painted his face. "Security consultant and federal liaison. She feels my former positions with the FBI and Secret Service, along with my more recent, more _public _appearances would make me an asset."

"But that's… that's great!" Castle replied, wrapping her in a vise of a hug. "You had me thinking there was something wrong."

"Well…" Kate hedged, causing Castle's arms to slip from around her, his warm hands gripping her biceps when she pulled back to stare up at him. "There is one caveat."

"Caveat?"

"Most of their main offices are in New York." She winced when the smile slipped from his face. "But there would be frequent travel to DC. Meetings with federal agencies, trainings at their satellite offices here. I would be here all the time, and I would be happy to come down and stay with Alexis when you're out of the country or she could come stay with me. And I promise, I will be here for your birthday even if I have to call Presidential-adjacent Privilege to make it happen. I know that it would be rough and I'm sure the press will have a field day but-"

Her words were cut off when his strong arms wrapped around her, pulling her hard against him. "We'll work it out." Castle promised. "I am so proud of you, this is a fantastic opportunity."

A smile split open on Kate's face and she pressed it against his neck, revelling in the feeling of the perfect moment.

"But Alexis," Kate continued.

"Alexis will be fine. She knows you can't work here anymore. She understands, and she'll understand that you're still here if not full time. Plus, I'm sure she'll love weekends in New York City." Castle interjected before she could even form her thought. "I also heard something about Bracken's name being leaked to the media. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

Kate shook her head and allowed the smile to flirt with her lips once again. "I heard all that information was anonymous. Who knows where it could have come from."

The White House had settled back into it's normal routine of chaos. Alexis was doing better every day, and Kate, wrapped in the arms of the love of her life, had just been offered the job of a lifetime.

"I love you." The words flew from her lips, needy and urgent.

His answering grin lit up his face, crinkled at his eyes. "I love you too. Now, I feel like this is an occasion that calls for ice cream, Chinese food, and some sort of marathon."

"Some sort of marathon, huh?" Kate teased when they turned toward the residence, Castle's arm slung around her shoulders, hers anchored at his waist. Together.

"Yes. Movies, distance running, sex. Your choice. Though maybe not a drinking contest for this celebration, we don't need you drunk dialing Melanie Carmichael."

Kate's answering laughter reverberated off the walls, causing heads to turn but none of it mattered. Nothing but him, his kid, this moment and all those to come.

"You don't have to get back?" She asked instead, happy to keep the sappy thoughts confined to her own head for now.

"Not tonight. The state of the union is looking pretty great."

* * *

Complete.

* * *

A/N: Thank you all for your love and support for this story. It has been such a fun ride. Thank you to Kate Christie, Airbefore and Fembot77 for the edits, cheerleading, tough love and unwaivering support. I couldn't ask for a better team.

Until next story. Xx

Twitter: aspen_musing

Tumblr: aspenmusing


End file.
